I'll Be There
by Rebecca Cage
Summary: When Jack get a horrifying medical diagnosis, it's up to Daniel to save the day. Will things go the way they have been planned? How will their friends cope? Will Sam and Sarah be helped when an old friend of SG-1 returns? Read and review PLEASE! Finally f
1. Troubled Mind

I'll Be There

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or anything related to it. MGM has all the rights to that. Also, I am getting no monetary compensation for this or any other piece. The only compensation I get is the entertainment of writing the material. Therefore, please don't attempt to sue me.

Chapter 1: Troubled Mind 

Colonel Jack O'Neill was sitting on an infirmary bed, waiting for the results of the blood work that Dr. Janet Fraiser had taken during his routine checkup. He wasn't really worried, because he didn't have any reason to think anything was wrong other than a few bouts of indigestion lately, rather he was just anxious to get out of the infirmary and get back to work. Five minutes later, Janet returned looking a little concerned.

"Doc? Something wrong?" Jack asked, a knot suddenly forming in his stomach when he saw the look on her face.

"Colonel, I have the results of your blood tests. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"What kind of bad news?"

"Your test results show that your liver function is seriously declining. I'm afraid things don't look good. Unless we do something your liver will completely fail within six months." Janet said with tears in her eyes.

"What can you do? What are our options?"

"The best chance we have to get you back to 100 is for you to have a liver transplant. I've already been looking into that and I'll do everything I can to make this happen."

"Do what you can, Doc. Is it okay if I leave and take a walk? I need to get away." Jack said, his mouth so dry he could hardly talk at all.

"Of course, Colonel. I know this is all very hard to digest. Let me know if there's anything you need."

"Sure."

* * *

After he left the infirmary, Jack wandered aimlessly through the halls for about fifteen minutes. Without really knowing how he got there, he found himself standing outside Daniel's office with a strong feeling that he needed to have a long talk with his best friend. 

Dr. Daniel Jackson was sitting in his office going through some files and a backlog of e-mail on his computer when he heard a soft knock on the door. Startled by the sound, Daniel looked up from what he was doing.

"Come in." Daniel called out.

"Daniel. You got a minute. I really need to talk to you." Jack said quietly.

"Yeah, I have some time. Come on in, Jack."

"Thanks."

"So, uh, what was it that you wanted to talk about? I get the feeling that it's really important." Daniel asked as Jack entered the office, closing the door, and sat down across from him.

"How do I say this? I might as well start from the beginning. I had my routine checkup from Fraiser this morning. Well, I could never have suspected that anything would be out of the ordinary."

"I take it that it wasn't that way it happened."

"Come on, Daniel. You know things are never that simple when I'm involved. Fraiser found a pretty big problem when she reviewed my blood work. She told me that my liver function has drastically declined and she isn't sure why. I need to get a transplant from somewhere and if not, my liver will fail within six months and it'll kill me. Fraiser's working on the problem right now." Jack said matter of factly.

"Oh my God. Jack, I had no idea. I mean, none of us even realized that there could be a potential problem. Obviously, you didn't either or else you wouldn't be so torn up. Wait, have you told Sam this yet?" Daniel asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"No. Sam doesn't know yet. I left the infirmary, wandered around for a bit, realized I needed a little perspective and came to talk to you."

"Well, all I know is that we need to think of a logical way to deal with this. Too bad we don't have a sarcophagus, that would probably help buy us some time to solve this. This is a lot for me to take in so I can only imagine what you must be going through right now. One thing I do know is that you need to break this news to Sam and you might also want to let Hammond in on what's up. I'm going to go online and see if I can't find some solution to this that maybe Janet hasn't thought of."

"Okay. I'll see you later. Let me know if you find anything. Oh, and Daniel, thanks for taking time to talk to me about all this. Sorry to throw this all at you at once but at the time I didn't know anyone else I could talk to."

"It's no problem, Jack. What kind of guy would I be if I didn't make time for my best friend when he obviously needs me now more than ever? I'm glad that you felt you _could_ come and discuss this with me. I will do everything in my power to find a solution to help you through this. That is a promise." Daniel said as Jack turned and headed down the corridor, the fluidity of his movements making him look frighteningly like a ghost in light of the present situation.

* * *

After Jack left his office, Daniel pulled up his web browser and queried a search engine for any sites that in any way were relevant to the current situation. It didn't take him long to find a site of particular interest. In all honesty, Daniel's heart was telling him that this was the solution that Jack was counting on someone to find. He immediately reached for the phone sitting beside him on the desk and dialed the extension for the infirmary, waiting impatiently for someone to pick up. 


	2. A Solution and the Truth

Chapter 2: A Solution and The Truth

Janet sat in her office down in the infirmary, running the earlier events repeatedly in her mind. It was so hard for her to believe that one of her friends was facing such a tense situation. Suddenly, her office phone began ringing, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Fraiser."

"Hey, Janet. It's Daniel. Are you busy right now?"

"Not really. I was just going through some things here. Why? Is something wrong?" Janet asked, concerned.

"There's nothing wrong. Actually, something may be going right. Can you come to my office? I really need to talk to you. It's extremely important so if you could hurry I would really appreciate it." Daniel said, sounding a little more pushy and snappish than he's actually intended.

"Yeah. I'll be right there, Daniel."

* * *

Less than five minutes later, Daniel was still scanning the same website when he heard a knock on his office door. Knowing who was there, he got up and hurried across the room, opening the door for Janet Fraiser. 

"Come on in, Janet. Thanks for coming up so quickly."

"Daniel. What in the world is so important that it couldn't wait? You sounded a little upset when you called for me. What's going on?"

"I found a website on the internet that could possibly give us an almost immediate way to help Jack. He was here earlier and told me what you found out this morning. When he left, I entered a search and found this site about live transplantation. I don't know if you've thought of that but from what I've been reading this could be our best shot at saving Jack's life. See." Daniel began as Janet moved over to the desk and peered over his shoulder at the screen. "It says here that the success rate for these type of procedures is at nearly 100."

"I hadn't thought about that Daniel but a live transplantation. I mean, are you sure. We'd have to get volunteers to be tested for compatibility and all."

"Well, you have your first volunteer standing right here in front of you. Look, I already know that Jack and I have the same blood type so that's a start right there. Janet, this is what we need to do. Jack is counting on us and I couldn't live with myself if I let him down by passing up the best opportunity for his full recovery. Could you?"

"No. Of course not. Okay. I'll run the tests on you right now and if it turns out favorably, we may not need to get anyone else involved who don't absolutely have to know. So, Daniel, would you please follow me back down to the infirmary and we'll get started." Janet agreed as Daniel followed her out of the office, closing the door behind them. As they walked into the infirmary and Janet began performing the necessary tests, she fervently hoped that Daniel was right and that this would be an available option to help Jack.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jack was standing outside General Hammond's office trying to get up the nerve to knock. He didn't know how he was going to reveal this information to the man who was not only his commanding officer but also his friend. Finally, Jack took a deep breath and knocked on the door. 

"Come in." Hammond called, looking up from his paperwork.

"General, I'm sorry to interrupt. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course. You weren't interrupting anything that can't wait. What's on your mind, Jack?"

"Well, I'm afraid that I have to dump some bad news on you on top of everything else you have to deal with. Janet gave me my routine physical today and when she reviewed my blood work, she discovered that I have a liver problem. She's working on a way to fix the problem, but I have to face the truth that if she can't then I'll be gone in six months. Also, I think it would be in SG-1's best interest if I removed myself from active duty." Jack explained.

"Oh my God. I'm sorry, Jack. If there's anything I can do, anyone you need to help you and Dr. Fraiser find a way to stop this let me know and I'll have them here from anywhere on the globe within the next 24 hours."

"I really appreciate that, sir, but unfortunately the best chance I have depends on the cessation of another human life. Janet says that I really need to have a liver transplant."

"Jack, I don't know what to say. Let me make some calls to a few of my contacts and see what I can find out. There has to be a way to come up with a solution. I will _not_ lose one of my best officers to a situation that I may be able to help correct."

"Okay. I'll get out of your hair now. I need to go talk to Carter anyway. She doesn't know about this yet and I need to find a way to break the news to her. Let me know if you get a lock on anything, General." Jack said.

"You got it. Don't give up, Jack. We will find a way out of this, just like always. I'll give everything I have to make it happen. On that, you have my word." Hammond said softly, watching his friend, his second in command, head slowly and solemnly out of his office.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Daniel was back in his office going through some of his books, trying to keep his mind distracted while he waited for news on his and Janet's plan for a possible solution to the crisis at hand. He was so concerned with this, in fact, that he nearly jumped out of his skin when the phone on his desk rang at last. 

"Yes."

"Daniel, it's Janet. I have good news. We have a feasible solution. When I ran your tests through and compared them to the ones that I took from Colonel O'Neill this morning and there were more than enough matching factors. I just need to make sure that you are both okay with this before I'll go ahead." Janet said, cautious relief in her soft voice.

"I know I'm okay with it. I'll send an SF to find Jack and have him come to my office so I can discuss it with him. Does this stand a chance of working, Janet?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, it does. The only thing is that I can't perform the procedure but I can assist and the other thing is that we won't be able to do it at the SGC. We'll have to use the Air Force Academy Hospital across town."

"Fine with me. Let me try to hunt Jack down and sell this idea to him. Give me about twenty minutes and I'll get back to you. Don't go too far." Daniel said as he hung up and tried to flag down the SF walking by his office. "Airman! Could you come in here a minute?"

"Yes, Dr. Jackson."

"I need you to do something for me. Can you find Colonel O'Neill and ask him to come to my office as soon as possible?"

"Yes, sir." The airman replied as he pivoted on his heel and left the office.

* * *

In the meantime, Jack walked quietly into Sam's office and stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching her work on her latest project and admiring just how beautiful she was, especially now. After getting up the nerve, he decided to make his presence known. 

"Sam. Whatcha doing?"

"Oh, hi, Jack. I'm just looking at this thing SG-6 brought back trying to figure out just what exactly it is. So far, I haven't had much luck though." Sam said.

"Well, could you take a break from that for a minute. I really need to talk to you about something." Jack told her seriously, confiscating the device from Sam and taking her hand.

"Jack, what's the matter. You're starting to scare me a little. This is a little strange, especially for you."

"Sam, I had my routine checkup with Janet this morning and there's a pretty big problem. I wanted to be the one to tell you this before you heard from her or anyone else."

"What kind of problem?" Sam asked, her voice barely above a whisper because of the knot forming in her throat.

"God, this is harder than I thought. Okay, according to Janet, my liver function has majorly declined and I need to have a transplant soon if that's even possible. I hope it is because if not then I won't be around six months from now."

"You can't be serious. This can't be happening, Jack. Not to you."

"I know. I'm having a hard time believing it myself. The only thing we can do is hope that Janet can come up with something or Hammond can get a lock on something from one of his infinite contacts. Don't worry. One thing I can promise you is that Jack O'Neill will not go down without one hell of a fight." Jack whispered reassuringly, taking Sam into his arms as she started to cry.

"Colonel O'Neill?" The airman said as he poked his head in the office door.

"Now isn't a very good time, Airman."

"I'm sorry, sir, but Dr. Jackson wants you to meet him in his office as soon as possible. He says it is extremely urgent."

"I'll get down there right away. Thank you, Airman. You're dismissed." Jack said professionally.

"I guess I need to go and see what Daniel needs. You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. You go help Daniel. I'll catch up with you later." Sam said bravely.

"Okay. See you later."

* * *

Back in his office, Daniel was anxious to tell Jack about his solution to the tragic problem that they were facing. He was about to give up on the SF he had sent and was about to go and track down Jack himself when his target appeared, leaning in the doorway of the office. 

"Jack."

"Daniel. What's so important that you had to get me down here right now? I was breaking the news to Sam."

"Sorry, but I have some very good news. We have a solution to this predicament." Daniel apologized.

"Well, what is this solution that you came up with?" Jack asked curiously.

"Me."

"What? Daniel, what the hell are you talking about? How could you possibly be the solution to my health problems?"

"Okay, just hear me out. After you left earlier to go talk to Hammond, I got online and searched the internet for liver donation hoping to get a lock on something and I was successful."

"All right. But that still doesn't explain what that has to do with _you_."

"Well, one of the first sites that I hit on was a site about live donations. Now, what that means is that they'll take a portion of my liver out and give it to you and within a matter of months we'll both have a whole, fully functional and healthy organ."

"Daniel, I appreciate what you're trying to do but I can't let you go through with something like this and take such an astronomical risk for me."

"Jack, listen to me. I did full research on this and Janet already ran the tests and said I'm a perfect candidate. According to the information that I read, the success rate from this type of procedure is near 100. I know that there are risks, there always are with surgical procedures of any kind, but I'm more than willing to see this thing through. That is, if you agree."

"I'm still not sure I like the idea of you putting yourself at risk on my account, but this sounds like as good of a shot as we're going to get. So you're saying that we'll both make a full recovery from this."

"Yes."

"Okay, then. Let's do it." Jack agreed finally.

"Good. I'll let Janet know what we've decided."

* * *

Daniel reached for the phone and dialed the infirmary where he knew Janet was waiting for his call. Sure enough, after about two rings, she answered the phone.

"Janet, it's Daniel again. I've discussed the situation with Jack and we've decided that my idea is our best option and we're going to go through with it."

"Great. I'll inform General Hammond and see about getting us everything that we need. Plan to be at the Air Force Academy Hospital at about 0900 tomorrow morning. We'll get going from there."

"Right. That's the plan then. Let me know if there are any other developments." Daniel said as he hung up.

"What did Fraiser say?" Jack asked.

"Janet said we're good to go. She's going to go and talk to Hammond about bringing in the necessary people that she needs and she said that we should report to the Academy Hospital in the morning at 0900 and get the ball rolling."

"Well, this is a good thing. I just hope that everything goes as you planned it. This is an insane risk and I hope we don't regret it."

"We won't. Now if you'll excuse me I need to head home. I have a very protective fiancé to break the news to."

"All right. I need to go and tell Sam the good news that we have a solution. I'll talk to you later on this evening. Give Sarah a hug for me."

"I will. Talk to you later." Daniel said, clapping Jack on the back before heading out for the elevator to the surface.

* * *

Janet Fraiser walked down the hall toward General Hammond's office, lots of things going through her mind. After some intense thought, she came up with the perfect surgeon for this job and she hoped that Hammond would bring him in. Deciding that the best way to deal with this was to tackle it head on, she knocked on the door. 

"Come in."

"General, I need to talk to you about something very important, sir." Janet said.

"Dr. Fraiser. What can I do for you?" Hammond asked.

"Sir, Daniel and I have come up with a solution to save Colonel O'Neill. But we're going to need your help to do it."

"I'll do what I can. What have you and Dr. Jackson come up with?"

"Well, earlier this afternoon, Daniel called down to the infirmary and insisted that I come to his office. When I went up there he showed me a web site that he had found regarding live organ donation. So, what we want to do is for Daniel to donate a part of his liver to Colonel O'Neill. There are no extreme risks to either one of them and they'll both make a full recovery."

"Just tell me who you need to make this successful and I'll have them here in less than 24 hours."

"I was hoping you'd say that, sir. Because I've come up with the perfect person. A British surgeon by the name of James Anderson. I've talked to him and he's agreed to perform the operation with your permission with me there to assist, of course."

"Consider it done, Doctor. I'll have him here by 0500 at the latest. You have a go for the procedure."

"Thank you, sir." Janet said, saluting smartly as she turned and walked out the door, feeling like a huge weight had just been taken off of her shoulders only to be replaced by a considerably smaller one.


	3. Preparing For a Miracle

Chapter 3: Preparing For a Miracle

Jack walked once more into Sam's office to find her still working on the same project she had been working on before. Due to his good mood at the latest development, he decided to have a little fun so he snuck up behind her and poked her lightly in the ribs, causing her to jump a mile in the air.

"What? Who's there?" Sam said, whirling around to face her possible attacker.

"Easy, Sam. It's just me. I was just having a little fun with you, that's all. Sorry if I freaked you out or anything."

"Oh, Jack. You scared the living fool out of me. What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Yep." Jack said, grinning.

"I know from that look that something's up. Will you please let me in on whatever it is that you obviously know?"

"Well, you remember when I told you earlier today that my life was in danger."

"Yeah, it's been all I've thought about since you left."

"You can forget about it. Daniel and Fraiser found a solution. Everything's going to be fine."

"Are you serious? I'm so glad that you're going to be okay and we aren't going to lose you." Sam cried as she threw herself into Jack's arms and hugged him as hard as she possibly could.

"There's a catch to this whole thing, though."

"Wait a minute. What kind of catch?"

"Well, the solution involves my getting a portion of a liver from a living donor. That's where Daniel comes in to this whole thing. He's going to donate a portion of his liver to me and we'll both regenerate a whole so there are no extraneous risks. This was all Daniel's idea and Janet will be there to assist. It's all set up. We report to Air Force Academy Hospital at 0900 tomorrow morning."

"Oh my God. This is insane. There has got to be some way that this can be solved some other way."

"This is our best chance, Sam." Janet said as she walked in the door with General Hammond.

"Dr. Fraiser's right, Major. This plan that Dr. Jackson has come up with is the best chance for Colonel O'Neill's survival at this time."

"What are we going to do in the meantime? I mean, you can't expect us to go off world on missions without Jack and Daniel." Sam said, obviously terrified.

"Give me some credit here, Sam. Effective immediately, I'm placing SG-1 on stand down until this situation has been resolved. You're all going to need each other's support right now and besides, I don't believe you and Teal'c would be very effective on off world missions when your minds would obviously be with Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson here." Hammond said, touching Sam's arm reassuringly.

"What is transpiring here? For what reason are you discussing O'Neill and Daniel Jackson when only one is present?" Teal'c asked, having entered the office looking for Sam.

"Teal'c. There's something that you need to know. We're on stand down until further notice. Daniel and I are going into Academy hospital tomorrow morning at 0900."

"To what end?"

"Ah, well, you see Teal'c, I'm not sure if you get the implications of what I'm about to tell you given that you carried a symbiote for immunity and all but I'll give it a shot anyway. My liver function has declined and I need a transplant to save my life. Daniel has volunteered to donate part of his to me so that I can survive."

"Would that not involve sacrificing the life of Daniel Jackson?"

"Oh, no. Sorry about that, Teal'c. No one is going to die. Both organs will regenerate to whole within a matter of months and then things will be as they were before." Jack explained quickly.

"Indeed. I wish you well. I shall be present the entire time in case my services are needed. But for now, I must meditate on the events of the coming day." Teal'c said, nodding to his friends as he excused himself from the room.

"Well, now that that's settled, I think we should all get some rest for tomorrow. Especially you, Jack. I understand that Dr. Jackson has already left the base."

"Yes, sir. He said that he had to break the news to Sarah. I'm going to call him later."

"Very well. I'll see you people in the morning before this gets underway. In the meantime, I'm ordering all of you to get some rest."

"Yes, sir." Jack said, saluting Hammond smartly as he led Sam out of the room.

* * *

As they walked to the elevators that would take them to the surface, Jack and Sam tried to make idle conversation to keep their minds off of what was to come.

"Sam, why don't you follow me back to my house tonight and I'll throw together some steaks and things for dinner. We'll even call Daniel, Sarah and Teal'c and see if they all want to come over too. Make kind of an evening out of it. Means of distraction, that kind of thing."

"That sounds like a good idea. Let's go invite Teal'c and then we'll go." Sam agreed, smiling a little.

When Jack and Sam arrived at Teal'c quarters, they knocked gently on the door to make sure that they weren't disturbing him. He had said that he was going to Kelnoreem and they didn't want to interrupt.

"Enter!" Teal'c called.

"Hey, T. I'm going to have a cookout at my house this evening and Carter and I were wondering if you'd like to come." Jack said.

"Will Daniel Jackson also be present?"

"Yeah. We were going to call them as soon as we get to Jack's house. I'm sure they'll be happy to come over." Sam confirmed.

"Then I shall come as well. I would relish this opportunity to spend time with two of my greatest friends on the eve of such a desperate situation."

"Great. Come on over in about 2 hours. That'll give me enough time to get everything set up, talk to Daniel and get the steaks on before everyone gets to my house."

"Very well. I shall see you then. Do you wish me to bring anything?" Teal'c asked.

"Nope. Just yourself. Carter and I'll take care of everything else." Jack smiled at his friend as he left Teal'c's quarters and headed for the surface, Sam closely in tow.

* * *

In the meantime, back at his house, Daniel walked slowly into the front door trying to think of how in the world he was going to break the news to Sarah of what the next day was to hold.

"Sarah! Are you here?" Daniel called as he stepping into the living room.

"I'm right here, Daniel. I was cleaning up a little." Sarah answered as she appeared from the back hallway, approaching to kiss him. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Sarah, sit down. Honey, we need to talk about something very important."

"What's happened, Daniel? Please tell me. You're really starting to scare me."

"I'm not even sure where to start. This morning, Jack came into my office and seemed really upset. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that Janet found his liver function was severely declined and he needed to have a transplant to live longer than six months. So I went on the Internet and queried a search to look for any possible solution and I found a site on live organ donation that caught my attention. I talked to Janet about it and we went through some procedures and found that we have a match for a partial liver transplant for Jack and it's a person on base."

"Who's the match?"

"It's me. I'm a match for Jack. We report to Academy Hospital across town at 9:00 tomorrow morning for the procedure. Now, before you get too distressed I want to tell you that there aren't going to be an extraneous risks to this situation and there is a 100 success rate according to the intel that I was able to gather." Daniel explained softly, hating the tears of horror than he saw in Sarah's eyes.

"Oh my God. This is too hard of a situation to believe. I'm going to be there for you every step of the way. You won't go through this alone." Sarah whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around her fiancé's neck as she began to cry.

"I know. Shh. It's going to be okay. I promise. You know you can't get rid of me that easily."

Thirty minutes later, Jack and Sam had arrived back at Jack's house and as Sam went into the kitchen to chill some drinks, Jack picked up the phone and dialed Daniel's number to invite him over for steaks.

"Hello."

"Hey, Daniel. It's Jack. Were you and Sarah planning on doing anything tonight?" Jack asked.

"Not really. Just planning on spending time together. Why?"

"Because Sam's over here and we're going to grill out steaks. Teal'c's going to come over and we want you guys to come over too. That way we can all spend time together. So, are you guys in?"

"Hang on a minute, let me talk to Sarah."

"Okay."

"Hey, Sarah. Jack's on the phone and he wants us to come to his house tonight for a get together with him, Sam and Teal'c before this whole deal. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah. That's fine. This way I'll be able to keep my mind off of everything." Sarah said quietly.

"Jack. Count us in. What time do you want us to come by?" Daniel asked.

"How about you guys head over in about an hour and a half. We need to keep our minds off of what's going on and spending time together is the best way to do that."

"Yeah, that's exactly what Sarah said. We'll see you in a little while then."

* * *

An hour later, Jack was out in the back yard starting his grill when he heard a car pull up outside. He walked in through the living room just as Sam opened the front door far Daniel and Sarah, who had just arrived.

"Hey, Daniel. Hey, Sarah. Come on in." Sam said as she hugged her friends.

"Hey, Sam. Where's Jack?"

"Right here. Hey guys. I'm really glad you decided to come. Teal'c should be here before too long. I'm just getting ready to put the food on the grill. Wanna help me, Daniel?" Jack asked, placing his arm around Daniel's shoulders.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds like a way to kill a little time until Teal'c gets here." Daniel smiled as he followed Jack out the door into the back yard.

Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang again as Sam and Sarah were sitting on the couch talking. Knowing who was there, Sam opted not to go to the door.

"Come on in! Door's open!" Sam called. "Hey, Teal'c."

"Greetings, Major Carter. I see that everyone else has already arrived. I am late, am I not." Teal'c said as he walked stoically into the house.

"No, of course you're not. Daniel and Sarah just got here a little bit early."

"What is the location of O'Neill and Daniel Jackson."

"They're out in the back starting the grill. You can go out with them if you want. Actually I think they'd like it if you did."

"Indeed." Teal'c said as he walked out the back door to join his friends.

"O'Neill. Daniel Jackson. May I be of assistance?"

"Hey, Teal'c. Glad you came. We're almost finished here so we're just about to eat."

"So, Teal'c, can we count on you to take care of the girls for us when we can't?" Daniel asked.

"Indeed. I am unable to believe that you would think I would do anything other, Daniel Jackson."

"I don't think you'd do anything else, Teal'c. I was only joking."

"If you insist. I am unaware of this class of humor."

"Teal'c, you still have a lot to learn about Earth culture. Hell, you may never learn it all. But that's not important now. Let's just get through this roadblock we're standing in front of and then Daniel and I'll teach you as much as we know." Jack grinned, slapping Teal'c on the shoulder as the Jaffa looked on him with a raised eyebrow.

"All right. These steaks are done. Let's eat, guys." Daniel smiled as he took the food off of the grill and followed Jack and Teal'c into the house.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were all sitting around the living room having dinner and drawing what ever courage and strength they could from each other's company. It was a while before any of them dared speak a word.

"I'm still having a hard time believing that this whole thing is really happening. It all seems like a really bad nightmare." Sam said softly.

"Well, now you know how I've felt ever since this morning. When Jack came in my office this morning and told me what was going on, it took me until the point that Janet and I were planning for tomorrow to realize that I wasn't dreaming and it was very real." Daniel reassured her.

"This is indeed a trying situation. But I believe Dr. Fraiser to be a very capable person to assist in getting the job done."

"Come on, people. Let's not be all gloom and doom here. I see this as a very positive thing. Right now it's important that we all support each other and stick together." Jack insisted as only he could.

* * *

It was about 10:00 that evening when the group decided to call it a night and go get some rest for the upcoming, no doubt strenuous, events of the next day.

"As much as I'm enjoying the distraction, we all need to get some sleep for tomorrow so Sarah and I are going to go. I'll see you in the morning, Jack. Keep your spirits up." Daniel said as he took Sarah's hand and helped her up off of the couch.

"Yeah, you too. Get some rest, you two. See you in the morning." Jack smiled, clapping Daniel on the back and giving Sarah a supportive hug.

"I think I'm going to head home now too. There are a few things that I need to sort out and you need to get some rest."

"As do I."

"All right. I guess you're all right."

Jack walked his four friends outside and watched as they got into their cars and headed home, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Once everyone was gone, he went back into the house and sat in his big comfortable chair in front of the television and turned on the sports channel to try to distract himself. An hour later, Jack began to feel tired so he locked up the house, made his way to his bedroom, went to bed and fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

When they got home, Daniel and Sarah went to bed and lay awake for a while talking about everything. Daniel wanted to make absolutely sure that Sarah was going to be okay.

"I wish that there were some other way of solving this problem. I mean, I think the world of Jack O'Neill but I don't like the idea of you putting yourself in harms way when there might be another solution."

"Sarah, honey, we've been over this. I'm the closest match to Jack, almost perfect, in fact the only way it could be closer would be if Jack and I were related. I know you're scared, I am to, but this is the only logical solution. Either I do this or Jack is going to die, so if you look at it honestly, I don't have a choice in the matter." Daniel whispered.

"I know, but it still doesn't make it any easier. This all still just seems so surreal to me. I keep thinking that any minute I'll wake up and watch you sleeping beside me." Sarah said as she began to cry and Daniel held her tightly to try to comfort her.

"I understand how you feel. If I were you I'd probably be saying the exact same thing right about now. But Janet has assured me that she will be there assisting the entire time. Jack and I are going to be in the best of hands. That is a promise. You really don't need to be so worried."

"Well, for now I think maybe we should both stop worrying and try to sleep for a few hours anyway. You have a very big day tomorrow."

"Good idea. Sarah, no matter how scary things seem tomorrow the one thing that I want you to remember is how much I love you. That should help to get you through." Daniel whispered as he settled deeper into the blankets and resting his head on the pillow as he closed his eyes. Moments later he had drifted off to sleep.

"I will remember that, Daniel. I promise. I am going to see you through this thing, no matter what it takes." Sarah thought as she settled in, watching as Daniel slept and thinking about the next day and the extreme trials that lay ahead for everyone involved.


	4. The Day Arrives

Chapter 4: The Day Arrives

Two hours later, after Sarah had finally fallen asleep, she began to dream. Unfortunately, as her fear continued to control every aspect of her mind, she soon found herself trapped in a nightmare.

In her dream, Sarah found herself in the hospital waiting room with Sam, Teal'c, and a few other people that she had never seen before. She was waiting to hear something on how the operation was going, though in her heart she had a sinking feeling that something just wasn't quite right. That was when Janet walked into the room, looking stressed and very upset.

"What is it? What's the matter?" Sarah asked nervously. When Janet walked over to sit by her, she felt her stomach tie in a knot as she felt Sam grip her hand tightly.

"Sarah, I need to talk to you. Something happened in the surgery and it's not good news." Janet said as her voice broke slightly. She cleared her throat before delivering the shocking blow. "Honey, I'm afraid that there was a complication that we didn't expect. When we took the part of Daniel's liver, he had a bleed that we didn't see at first. His blood pressure bottomed out within a matter of minutes. We did everything we could do but it was too late to fix the problem. I hate to have to tell you this but we couldn't save him. Daniel's gone, Sarah. I'm so sorry."

"No! That's not true! He's not dead!" Sarah screamed as Sam put her arms around her and Teal'c bounded to his feet protectively.

"I'm so sorry, honey. We tried everything possible. There was just nothing that we could do. I wish that there was some way that I could undo what's happened. You've been through enough in the short time that I've known you. You shouldn't have to deal with this too."

"Janet, what about Jack?" Sam asked suddenly.

"Jack's okay, Sam. They're closing him up now."

"Sarah, I wish there was something that I could say right now. I know how extremely unfair this whole situation is. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"Not unless you can turn back time and fix what has happened. I need someone to bring Daniel back to me." Sarah cried into her friend's shoulder as the horrible knowledge sank in that this was the reality. She would never be getting married. There would be no wedding because now she had no fiancé. Daniel was dead, gone forever because he had decided to be a hero.

* * *

About 3:30 in the morning, Sarah woke up screaming. She hugged the pillow to her and rocked slowly back and forth, trying to calm her jangled nerves.

"Sarah? Honey, what's the matter? What's got you so upset?" Daniel asked as he wrapped his arms tightly around his fiancé, having been awakened from a sound sleep when Sarah screamed.

"Oh, thank God it wasn't real. It wasn't real." Sarah breathed, leaning heavily into Daniel's arms, feeling his strong arms around her.

"What wasn't real? I don't understand. What happened?"

"I had a horrible dream. I dreamed that something happened during this surgery and the doctors couldn't save you. I dreamed that Jack survived and a part of me resented him for that. It was terrifying."

"No wonder you were screaming. But everything's okay now. You were just dreaming. That's not real. I'm here now and I always will be. Don't let a dream scare you too badly. That's not what you need right now. Okay."

"I'll try. I still can't believe that this is happening. It just seems so surreal." Sarah whispered shakily.

"I know. It's all going to be okay though. I promise you that nothing is going to turn out like it did in your dream. I don't want you to worry." Daniel said softly, trying to reassure her.

"I'll try not to worry. Let's just not think about it right now. It's only 4:00 in the morning. We don't have to get ready to leave until 6:00 so why don't you relax and try to sleep for a couple of more hours." Sarah urged, pulling Daniel into her arms to where his head rested on her shoulder. She held him close to her and gently rubbed his back to help him relax. Sarah whispered softly to Daniel in order to ease his troubled mind and did all she could to soothe him until he had finally drifted off. Sarah never did go back to sleep that night, she just laid by Daniel's side keeping watch over him as he slept. She promised herself then that if there was anything that could be done, she was not going to let any harm come to him.

* * *

At 5:45, Jack woke up and got showered and dressed. He wanted to eat something but remembered that Janet had instructed them the day before that they couldn't eat after midnight. After he was ready to go to the hospital, Jack sat down in his chair and turned on the television. He was waiting for Sam to arrive to pick him up, since she had insisted that he allow her to drive him. At about 6:15, Jack heard the doorbell ring as Sam arrived.

"Morning, Jack. Are you ready?" Sam said as brightly as she could manage given the situation.

"Hey, Sam. I guess you could say that I'm ready for a new lease on life. As ready as I'm ever going to be anyway. So let's get going." Jack said.

"Okay. I just talked to Sarah and she said that she was about to wake Daniel up and then they were going to leave and Teal'c is going to meet up with us at the hospital. Let's go and get this thing over with."

* * *

A little after 6:00, Sarah had finished getting herself ready and then she went about the difficult task of waking Daniel up. She was so tempted to not do it, to let him sleep like that forever, to leave him in his temporary escape from reality. But she knew in her heart that this wasn't an option because he knew Daniel. She knew more than anyone that he would do anything for the people that he cared about and Daniel and Jack O'Neill were as close as two people could get. So after taking a couple of deep breaths, she reached down and gently shook Daniel's shoulder.

"Daniel. It's time to wake up and get ready to go, sweetheart." Sarah whispered, bending to kiss Daniel's cheek.

"Yeah, I know. Time to face the music. I just want this to go as smoothly as Janet and I are thinking it will. I have complete confidence in the way she's taking this thing. Well, let me grab a quick shower and then we'll get ready to go." Daniel said as he climbed out of bed and went to get ready.

* * *

Back at the SGC, Teal'c walked into General Hammond's office to officially take his leave for the day before heading to the hospital to offer support to his friends.

"General Hammond, I must speak with you."

"Good morning, Teal'c. Come in and sit down for a minute. What is it you wanted to talk about?" Hammond asked, looking up from what he was doing when he heard the Jaffa's voice.

"I wish to inform you that I will take leave of the SGC today so that I may be with my friends." Teal'c said solemnly.

"Actually, I'll come with you, Teal'c. I've left Sergeant Siler in charge of things today. We don't have any teams due back until tomorrow so things should be okay if I leave. Do you mind if I ride over with you?"

"I do not. We should leave immediately." Teal'c agreed as he and Hammond headed to the car that Teal'c had recently purchased and left the base, driving across town to the hospital.

* * *

At 8:30, Daniel and Sarah arrived at the hospital and took care of all of the paperwork and everything else that needed to be done. When they arrived, Jack and Sam were there waiting for them. Jack walked up to Daniel and draped an arm around him.

"Daniel. Are you sure that you want to do this. I completely understand if you want to change your mind."

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure. There is nothing in this or any other world that would make me do anything different. This is the best chance you have to make a full recovery." Daniel insisted.

"Okay. Just wanted to give you the option. So, how's Sarah handling this?" Jack asked.

"Well, she seems to be a little calmer now than she was earlier. She woke up at about 3:00 this morning screaming because she had some nightmare about this thing and it spooked her pretty bad. I managed to convince her that it was just a dream and things were going to be fine."

"I guess the sooner we get this over with the better it's going to be for everyone."

"Yeah. I think so." Daniel said as they heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c called out as he came down the hall toward his friends, followed by Hammond.

"Teal'c. Am I glad to see you. It's good to know that you're here to keep things in line while all of this is going on." Jack smiled, slapping Teal'c on the back.

"Good morning, people." Hammond said, stepping from behind Teal'c's large form.

"General."

"What are you doing here, sir? Shouldn't you be back at the base?" Daniel asked, confused.

"I've left Sergeant Siler in charge of things on the base for today. As I told Teal'c, we don't have any off world teams due to report back until tomorrow afternoon. Besides, I couldn't turn my back on two of the members of my front line team during a time like this."

"Colonel, Daniel, it's time for me to take you to your rooms so we can prepare you for surgery." Janet said as she approached from the opposite hallway.

"Let's get to it then. Daniel, I really do appreciate what you're doing." Jack said, giving Daniel a hug.

* * *

Once everything was settled, Daniel was sitting in his hospital bed trying to reassure Sarah one last time before he was taken into surgery. He wanted to make certain that she was going to be okay.

"Sarah, are you feeling better about this after the talk we had earlier?"

"Not really, but I'm trying to hold it together for you. I'm still scared about this whole thing." Sarah admitted honestly, taking Daniel's hand in her own.

"I'm going to give you something to hold onto. This is something that I found at a dig several years ago. It's supposed to bring peace and good luck." Daniel whispered, reaching for a small gem and placing it into the palm of Sarah's hand.

"This is beautiful. Are you sure you want me to hold onto this. It seems to be very old."

"It is. But I trust you with it. Actually, this thing used to be a pendant, although the chain it was on was old and broken when we cataloged this particular piece."

"Thank you, Daniel. Now I have a small piece of you with me that I can hang on to during the time that I can't be with you." Sarah whispered, unclasping the gold chain on her neck and weaving it through the small ring on top of the gem Daniel had given her.

"Am I interrupting?" Teal'c asked quietly from where he had appeared in the door.

"No, of course not, Teal'c. Come on in." Daniel smiled.

"I have come to wish you luck, Daniel Jackson. I also wish to tell you that this is a very heroic move which you make this day. I am proud to call you my friend."

"Oh. Thanks Teal'c. I really appreciate that. Though I really don't see myself as being a hero. I'm just a normal guy who's doing what's necessary to help a good friend."

"You will realize your own heroism when this scenario ends, Daniel Jackson. For now I must take my leave. General Hammond wishes you luck as well."

"Okay. I really appreciate you coming by, Teal'c. Thanks again for sticking around. This can't be easy for you seeing how protective you are of everyone." Daniel said quietly, squeezing Teal'c's arm in appreciation.

"You are welcome." Teal'c nodded as he turned and walked slowly from the room.

* * *

Awaiting surgery in a room of his own, Jack tried to reassure Sam and ease some of the uneasiness and terror that he saw in her deep blue eyes. The fear that she was attempting to hide from him.

"It's going to be okay, Sam. I mean, think of what we've all been through over the past several years. You can't honestly believe that something like this is going to tear SG-1 apart. Daniel and I are going to pull through this just fine and things will get back to being just the way they were before."

"I know that, Jack. It's just that this whole thing is so unnerving. I can only imagine how you and Daniel must be feeling right now. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't be able to be as calm as you are right now. I'd be a nervous wreck." Sam said quietly,

"Believe me, it's not as easy as I make it look." Jack joked, causing Sam to laugh and slightly lifting the tension that laid heavy in the room.

"What are you going to do with your tags, Jack. You know you can't wear them into the operating room."

"Good point. I have an idea. Why don't you hold onto them for me, Sam. That way you have a part of me to hold onto if this thing gets too tough. Besides, I trust you."

"Sure. I'll hold onto your tags for you." Sam smiled as she realized that time was running short, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

"May I come in?" General Hammond asked, sticking his head in the door.

"Of course. Come to wish me luck, sir." Jack said, shaking hands with his commanding officer and friend.

"Yes. Also I came to let you both know something. When I found out that this was a go, I took the liberty of contacting Jacob Carter. He sends his best and has reassured me that the Tok'ra will have an operative on hand ready to come through the Stargate at a moments notice in case we need any assistance."

"Okay. That's good I guess. I hope that in the extremely unlikely event that it comes to that, Jacob is the one who steps through that gate. I wouldn't be comfortable entrusting our lives to any of the other Tok'ra."

"Please be serious, Jack. Even though I have complete confidence in Dr. Fraiser's choice in the surgeon for this procedure, since friends are involved I prefer to err on the side of caution. That means having the Tok'ra standing by just in case."

"I agree with General Hammond. The Tok'ra are trustworthy or else my dad wouldn't have remained among them for all these years." Sam pointed out.

"All right. I know when I'm outnumbered." Jack sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, best of luck, Jack. I know that time is running short but I just wanted to tell you that Teal'c and I will take care of the girls until this thing is over. You don't need to worry." Hammond said reassuringly as another face appeared in the door, a face that brought the tension back thicker than ever.

"Colonel. It's time." Janet said, slightly reluctant when she saw the emotion in the room when she entered.


	5. An Old Friend Returns

Chapter 5: An Old Friend Returns

When Janet spoke those words, Sam turned and looked at her with her hands trembling and her stomach turning somersaults. Jack nodded in resignation and gave Sam's hand a comforting squeeze.

"Okay, Colonel, we're ready. I need to prepare you for the surgery so we can get this ball rolling. Dr. Anderson is already waiting for us in the operating room. Sam, honey, I need to ask you to stand back for a minute please." Janet said softly, as Sam stepped away from the bed to let Janet do her job and went to stand beside General Hammond who placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, what's the first step?" Jack asked.

"The first thing that we need to do, like I said, is to prepare you for surgery. Since you already have an IV started, what I'm going to do is inject the anesthetic into the line because it prevents additional discomfort and also helps the medication work quicker. After that's done, one of the nurses will take you on to the operating room while I go and prepare Daniel. Once we have both of you in the OR the surgery should take about five hours from start to finish. I'll keep everyone up to date on what's going on so that should help with everyone's anxiety."

"Right. Might as well get to it then, I guess."

As Sam and Hammond looked on, Janet moved with amazing accuracy as she injected the drugs into Jack's IV line. After she had finished, Sam went back to Jack's bedside and talked to him.

"We're all behind you, Jack. Once this is over, we all need to go out and do something spontaneous and crazy as a group to celebrate."

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll hold you to that, Sam. Remember that you and Sarah aren't alone either. Teal'c and the General will give you more than enough support to get you through this. We'll talk more about spontaneity and craziness after this is over." Jack whispered, a numbness beginning to steal over him as Sam reached out and took his hand.

For a long moment, Sam stayed by Jack and held his hand in her own. After a time, she watched his eyes close as the anesthetic took effect and felt his grip on her hand go slack. She turned to Janet and gave a barely perceptible nod of her head, hearing the pounding of her own heartbeat in her ears. Sam felt Hammond's hands on her shoulders and allowed him to lead her away from the bed as the nurse wheeled Jack away into the operating room.

"Sir, you can take Sam to the waiting room down the hall. That's surgical waiting. I'll send Sarah that way after I prep Daniel and take him to the OR." Janet said as she left the room and headed down the hall to where Daniel was.

"Come on, Major. Teal'c's probably in the waiting room already and waiting for us to get there. There's nothing we can do here." Hammond said gently.

"Yes, sir." Sam assented as she allowed herself to be lead down the hall. As she walked into the waiting room with Hammond and saw Teal'c there, Sam realized that this was the first time since she started at the SGC that she felt completely helpless.

* * *

Down the hall, Daniel was sitting up in the hospital bed talking to Sarah when a knock on the door drew their attention. When they looked to see Janet standing there, an uneasiness filled the entire area.

"Daniel, Sarah, I'm sorry to interrupt but it's time to get everything started. Jack is already on his way to the operating room if he's not already there by now. So what I'm going to do is prepare you and wheel you down too and get this show on the road." Janet said, feeling slightly guilty for breaking up a tender moment between two of her friends.

"Janet, can I talk to Sarah for a second before this whole thing gets started?" Daniel asked.

"Sure, Daniel. Take a minute if you need to. Do you want me to step out?" Janet offered.

"No, that's okay. You can if you want but you don't have to."

"Sarah, honey, I love you. I hate that you are having to go through the back side of this thing but I hope you realize that this truly is the only choice. Just hang on to that lucky charm I gave you earlier and take advantage of the fact that you have Teal'c and General Hammond to lean on if you need some support. Most important of all is that I want you to remember how much I love you. I know first hand that love can help you through almost anything."

"I know that you love me and I would never forget that. I truly hope that love can get you through almost anything as you said. The only thing that is keeping me from losing my mind right now is that what you're doing is an act of love for a friend. I'll be right here when it's all over." Sarah whispered, trying to contain the terror that was going in her heart.

"Okay, so what now?" Daniel asked nervously.

"Well, what I'm going to do is inject the anesthetic into your IV. After it's had enough time to take effect, I'll wheel you into the operating room where Dr. Anderson is waiting with Colonel O'Neill and we'll get this done. The whole thing from beginning to end will take about five hours. I'll go to the waiting room periodically and let everyone know what's going on so that they can keep up to date on our progress. So, if you're ready, we'll get started." Janet said, injecting the anesthetic into the IV line as Daniel nodded absently.

Sarah stepped back long enough to let Janet do her work but as soon as the deed was done, she hastened back to Daniel's side. She held his hand and played with his hair, whispering softly to him. It was comforting for Daniel to know that his fiancé was beside him and would stay with him as long as she was able. Her voice was also soothing and he focused on her face as well as he could without his glasses until the anesthetic kicked in and Daniel finally closed his eyes, feeling a gentle kiss on his forehead as his consciousness slipped away.

"What do I do now?" Sarah asked softly, watching Janet begin moving Daniel out of the room.

"You need to go to the surgical waiting room down the hall. It won't be hard to find. Sam, Teal'c and General Hammond are already there. I promise that I will take very good care of Daniel. Please don't worry." Janet said gently.

"Okay. Although I don't trust the situation very much I do trust you."

As she watched her fiancé being wheeled out of the room and away from her, Sarah had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't seem to shake.

* * *

Back in the waiting room, Sam, Teal'c and Hammond were sitting in silence when Sarah walked in. Upon noticing her friend, Sam stood up and crossed the room to her.

"Sarah, are you okay? I know this whole thing is really creepy." Sam asked.

"I suppose I'm all right. It just really scared me to stand there and see what just happened back there. This is probably going to sound strange but I have a really bad feeling that I can't seem to get rid of. I know that Daniel is in the best of hands but that doesn't help very much." Sarah whispered, her voice cracking slightly.

While the women were talking about their fears, Teal'c looked at the clock on the wall and realized that he needed to go and await something at the SGC that he had arranged the evening before.

"General Hammond, I must return to the SGC for a short while. I shall not be long." Teal'c announced in a low voice.

"But why, Teal'c. What is back at the mountain that you could possibly need right now?"

"I have arranged for something to come through the Stargate that will offer assistance in the predicament we now find ourselves facing."

"Of course. I'll stay here with the women. Tell Sergeant Siler that I gave permission to open the iris for whatever coordinates this thing is coming from whatever it is." Hammond said, curious about what the Jaffa was up to, as Teal'c nodded to him and walked out of the room.

"Where is Teal'c going, sir?" Sam asked when she noticed Teal'c leaving.

"He said he's going back to the SGC to wait for something that he arranged to come through the gate. Apparently he set this up at some point last night."

"Oh. I hope he gets back here soon."

* * *

Back at the SGC, Teal'c walked into the control room with about two minutes to spare until his expected arrival. Sergeant Siler was standing there with the gate technician and the two looked up in surprise when Teal'c approached.

"Teal'c. What are you doing here?" Siler asked.

"I am expecting an arrival through the Stargate. General Hammond has granted permission for the iris to be opened when the coordinates come through."

"But we don't have any teams due until tomorrow." The technician pointed out.

"That is correct, however I arranged last night for someone to come through the gate today right about now."

"Incoming traveler. Receiving Kelownan IDC."

"Open the iris." Siler commanded, watching Teal'c head into the gate room as the iris swished quietly open.

Teal'c walked into the gate room and stood at the bottom of the ramp, a welcoming committee of sorts. The two in the control room looked on curiously as Jonas Quinn stepped through the Stargate.

"Greetings, Jonas Quinn. Your promptness in responding to my message is much appreciated." Teal'c smiled as his friend met him at the base of the ramp.

"Teal'c. Your message said that you needed my help. What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"I am afraid that hard times are faced. O'Neill and Daniel Jackson are in the hospital across town. That is why I am the only one of your friends present."

"What? What's the matter with Jack and Daniel? Why are they in the hospital? I don't understand, Teal'c." Jonas asked, confused.

"Allow me to elaborate. Yesterday, O'Neill was informed by Dr. Fraiser that his liver function was declining severely. The only available solution was for a new organ to be transplanted in place of the damaged one. To save the life of O'Neill, Daniel Jackson volunteered to donate a portion of his liver to O'Neill. That is why they are in the hospital. We must leave at once."

"Right. Let's go." Jonas replied as he followed Teal'c through the halls, too shocked to say anything more.


	6. Surprise Reunions

Chapter 6: Surprise Reunions

When Teal'c and Jonas arrived at the hospital, the Jaffa lead the way to the surgical waiting room that he had left not thirty minutes before. As soon as they walked in the room, Sam looked up and let out a loud gasp of shock.

"Jonas! What are you doing here?"

"Jack and Daniel are going through a life altering situation and you're asking me what I'm doing here."

"Sorry. Stupid question. Anyway, I'm really glad you're here, Jonas. It's really good to see you." Sam said as she embraced her friend in a tight hug. Then a thought occurred to her and she pulled back and looked at Jonas pensively. "Wait, how did you even know that Jack and Daniel were in the hospital?"

"Teal'c sent a message to me through the Stargate last night. It didn't say much except that I needed to come to Earth this morning because there was a tense situation and he asked for my help. Then when I came through, Teal'c was waiting for me in the gate room and told me what was going on." Jonas explained.

"I took this action because it occurred to me that all involved could use the additional support, considering the fact that Jonas Quinn is a trusted friend." Teal'c announced.

"Well, I'm very glad you did, Teal'c."

"Hey, who's this?" Jonas asked, walking over to Sarah. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Jonas Quinn."

"Sarah Gardner. I'm Daniel's fiancé. It's nice to meet you." Sarah said politely, shaking Jonas' hand.

"Same here. I just wish it were under better circumstances, though. So, Daniel's fiancé, huh. I didn't even know he was engaged. Boy, have I been out of the loop."

"I appreciate your support right now. But if you don't mind my asking, how do you know Daniel? Your name sounds familiar but I just can't be sure."

"Well, there's actually quite a story to that. He and I first met on my home planet of Kelowna. They came through to meet with my government about a possible trade agreement between our two worlds. Daniel and I were fast friends because we were interested in the many languages of the universe and had a lot in common to talk about. Unfortunately, at first we didn't really know each other that long because of an accident that happened with an experiment that we were doing on a Naquadah based weapon. The radioactive core went critical and Daniel broke through a glass window, ripped out the core and was exposed to an extreme dose of radiation that killed him, or so we thought. As it turned out, a year later Daniel came back and I ended up saving his life in return for him saving mine. After that, he rejoined SG-1 and I went back to Kelowna." Jonas recounted the tale, shuddering at the buried memories the current situation brought back to him as he did so.

"Wow. That's quite a story. I think I remember Daniel telling me that once before now that you told me."

"General Hammond, it's really good to see you again, sir." Jonas smiled casually.

"I'm glad you came through, Jonas. I didn't have any idea what Teal'c was planning until I saw you walk in the door five minutes ago." Hammond said, patting the younger man on the shoulder.

"This is unbelievable. They've only been in surgery for 45 minutes, but it seems like forever." Sam grumbled in frustration.

"I concur." Teal'c agreed.

"Well, when you're faced with a hard situation, a person's time perception tends to get thrown a little out of whack. I know it's gonna sound really taboo for me to be saying this but the best thing we can all do right now is try to stay calm." Jonas said quietly, trying to reassure the two frightened women as he rested a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Jonas is right, Major. It's not going to help anyone if you get upset. Dr. Fraiser said that she would update us periodically and I'm sure that as soon as she can, she'll do just that."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Janet appeared in the doorway of the surgical waiting room to give them an update on how the surgery was progressing. When the worried group noticed her, Sam and Sarah stood up and walked to meet her.

"How are things going, Janet? Is everything okay?" Sam asked nervously.

"Everything is going perfectly at this point. They're both holding up all right. There's not a reason to worry. I'll give you another update in a little while." Janet reassured, pausing when she noticed Jonas standing to one side beside Teal'c. "Jonas. This is a surprise. How did you know what was going on here today?"

"It's good to see you, Dr. Fraiser. Teal'c actually sent a message to Kelowna through the Stargate last night and asked me to come to Earth and when I got here a little while ago he let me know what was happening."

"Oh. Well it's good that you're here to lend support. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I need to get back to assist with the operation."

"Thank God things are going well so far." Sarah whispered as soon as Janet was gone.

"I know that. At least now that we know that things are going okay, maybe this won't seem quite so scary." Sam breathed.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Jonas asked suddenly.

"Indeed. I believe that we should seek out something to eat. There is nothing that can be done by sitting in this room." Teal'c agreed.

"Okay. I guess I am hungry. Let's get something to eat."

"I think there is a cafeteria downstairs where we should be able to get some food. Why don't we head down there and then we can come back up and wait for another update on the surgery." Hammond suggested as he led the others out of the room.

A few minutes later, the five of them were sitting at a small table in the hospital cafeteria having something to eat. That is, except for Sarah, who was doing nothing more than picking at a sandwich. Sam noticed this and became slightly concerned.

"Sarah, what's the matter? Janet said that things are going perfectly so I don't understand why you still look so afraid."

"I don't know what it is, Sam. I can't explain it but I just have this bad feeling that I can't seem to shake, a feeling that something is about to go seriously wrong." Sarah whispered as Sam gave her a reassuring hug.

* * *

In the operating room, things were going along well about three hours into the procedure. They had managed to successfully remove Jack's liver and at that point they were proceeding with extracting the portion of Daniel's that they would transplant.

"Everything is looking good right now. I see this procedure being a success as long as the donor organ isn't rejected." Dr. Anderson said as he worked, speaking to no one in particular.

"Well, if things are going well at this point, I'm going to go back out into the waiting room and let our people know how things are going." Janet said as she headed out of the room, her colleague nodding assent to her retreating back.

* * *

Back in the waiting room, the worried group sat together wondering what was going on in the OR and when they were going to get another update. The long wait was beginning to make tension run high.

"What the hell is taking Janet so long to give us another update. I can't stand just sitting here knowing what Jack and Daniel are going through and knowing that there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. I've never felt so helpless before in my life and I hate it!" Sam shouted in frustration, pounding the arms of the chair she was sitting in so hard that it caused her fists to go numb from the impact.

"Sam, listen to me. You have got to try to calm down. Getting yourself worked up like this is not going to help anything. Actually it may make things worse. Look, Jack is going to need your support after this operation is over and if you get all hysterical then Janet is going to keep you from seeing him." Jonas said calmly, ever the voice of reason.

"Calm down. Jonas, how can you stand there and tell me to calm down. You don't have any idea what I'm going through. No idea what this feels like. This is the most helpless feeling I have ever had in my whole entire life and you're trying to tell me what to do."

"Major Carter, you are way out of line. Now stand down." Hammond stepped in to calm the situation.

"You're right, sir. Jonas, I'm sorry. I never should have jumped your case like that. You were only trying to help me."

"It's okay. This is a very tense time for you. I understand why you reacted like that."

"Still, no matter what the situation is, that's no excuse for the way I just acted. That type of reaction isn't normal for me but then this situation isn't exactly the norm either. Anyway, can you forgive me?" Sam asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Forgiven and forgotten." Jonas smiled as he reached out and wrapped Sam in a great hug.

"Dr. Fraiser is coming. We will soon receive another update." Teal'c announced as he walked in from the hallway. Moments later, Janet came into the waiting room and was greeting by five anxious faces.

"Things are still going well. We've taken out Jack's liver and when I left to update you, Dr. Anderson was starting to remove the donated section from Daniel. I'm optimistic that things are going to turn out the way we hoped from the beginning. I need to get back to the operating room now but I'll come back and let you know when it's all over." Janet said.

"Thank you, Dr. Fraiser." Hammond acknowledged as Janet turned and walked out the door.


	7. Remaining Vigilant

Chapter 7: Remaining Vigilant

Back in the operating room, Janet returned from giving her friends an update and prepared to assist Dr. Anderson in finishing up the procedure.

"How are things going here. Are we almost finished with the operation?" Janet asked.

"Yes, Doctor, we are almost finished here. I just need to transplant this organ portion into Colonel O'Neill and then if there don't appear to be any complications we'll be ready to close them up and finish this procedure. If things keep going as well as they are, hopefully we'll be finished in about an hour." Dr. Anderson confirmed, not bothering to look up from what he was doing as he spoke.

"That's great. The sooner this is over the better because I'm not sure how much more Sam and Sarah can take."

* * *

Sam and Sarah were anxiously awaiting the news of the end of the surgery. Sarah was sitting quietly in the corner, lost in thought about how in the world they had all managed to end up in this situation in the first place. Sam, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth across the room thinking that if everything kept up much longer, then she was going to completely lose her mind.

"Are you all right, Major Carter? It appears that you are letting this get to you and you appear to be tense." Teal'c commented, stopping Sam by placing a hand on her arm.

"I'm okay, Teal'c. It's just that I wish this whole thing was over with already so I wouldn't have to be so worried anymore. You know what? Before he was taken into surgery, I promised Jack that when this was all over and things were back to normal that we'd all go out and do something spontaneous and crazy together. You know as a team, Jack and I, you, Daniel and Sarah, and Jonas too of course if he'd like to come along." Sam said, smiling honestly for the first time that day.

"It is my belief that it will be helpful to keep your mind engaged upon this rather than what is presently happening. As Jonas Quinn said before, no benefit will come to you from becoming worked up and upset."

"I know. Thanks Teal'c. It really helps to know that I have so much support. The thing that really worries me about my being so upset is that it might make certain people suspicious. I don't want to cause any more trouble than we've already got."

"Indeed. Have you thought that perhaps this is a new beginning in more ways than one? I say this because I am confident that O'Neill and Daniel Jackson will emerge from this exactly as they were before. Maybe you can find a way to tell O'Neill what you have been keeping inside for such an extended time." Teal'c told her quietly, giving Sam a slight hug.

"You know, that's something that I haven't thought about before now. This whole thing put that into perspective for me without me even realizing it. How is it that you stay calm and keep a cool head even in the worst situations?"

"Inherited patience and many years of training with Bra'tac when I was serving Apophis."

"Okay. Sure, Teal'c." Sam giggled, grateful for the distraction, no matter how momentary it might have been.

At that time, Jonas noticed that Sarah had been really quiet for some time so he decided to talk to her and see if he could help. He was really hoping that he could bring at least a small bit of comfort to his friend's fiancé.

"Hey, you okay?" Jonas said quietly, sitting down in the chair beside Sarah. "Other than being worried about Daniel, that is."

"Yes, I suppose I'm as well as I can be. I really can't explain to you what it is, Jonas, but I get a feeling that something off is about to go on and there isn't anything I can do about it." Sarah said, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"I don't understand why you feel like that. From what Dr. Fraiser has been telling us, things are going great and there haven't been any problems."

"I know that everything seems to be well for the time being but I'm so afraid that something will go wrong that we can't know right now. The worst part about it is that if it does, it'll be my fault. I mean, I should have done something to stop him, been able to talk him out of this. That sounds selfish, I realize, but that's just what I feel right now."

"Sarah, look at me. I want to tell you something and I want to make sure that you completely understand." Jonas insisted, causing Sarah to look up and meet his gaze. "I didn't tell you this before because, well to be honest I didn't think it was relevant, but back on Kelowna when Daniel saved my life and my planet like I told you before, I tried to tell him to stay behind and let me go through the glass but he didn't listen. He was determined to save my world no matter what the cost to himself. I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that trying to keep Daniel from doing something he's passionate about would be as effective as trying to walk through a brick wall. Knowing Daniel like I do, I can tell you with 100 certainty that there is absolutely nothing you could have said or done that would have prevented him from going through with this, especially since he and Jack are as close as they are. Don't worry though, things are going to be okay."

"Thanks. That really helps. I'm really glad that you came and that I got to meet you. I think Daniel is lucky to have a friend like you on his side. Now I understand why he thinks so highly of you."

* * *

A little over an hour later, Janet came back into the waiting room to let everyone know that the surgery was finally over. She was glad to ease at least some of Sam and Sarah's tension and anxiety.

"It's all over." Janet said simply.

"Oh, thank God. It's finally over." Sam breathed as Sarah sighed heavily and slumped in her chair slightly, Jonas' hand on her shoulder to offer support.

"How did everything go, Dr. Fraiser?" Hammond asked, relief evident in his voice.

"Well, everything went like in a textbook. There are no signs that Colonel O'Neill is rejecting the new organ and Daniel's doing just fine too. The only stipend to that is that we're going to have to keep them heavily sedated for the next 48 hours so that they can have a chance to begin the healing process. It's nothing at all to worry about. Everything's fine."

"That is indeed good news. All that is left to do now is maintain vigil so that O'Neill and Daniel Jackson are aware that they have our unwavering support." Teal'c said stoically.

"When can we see them?" Sarah asked as soon as she was able to find her voice.

"Not just yet. They've both been taken into recovery. Even though we're going to be keeping them sedated, we still have to make sure there is nothing else foreign. So as soon as they've had the chance to clear enough of the anesthetic from their systems, we'll move them to private rooms. You can see them then." Janet explained.

"Wait. How long will that be, Janet." Sam asked, beginning to become impatient.

"It won't be that much longer. I'd say thirty minutes at the most. I promise that I'll let you know as soon as you can go in and see them. Just stay strong."

"Okay. Thanks, Janet."

"I'll be back soon." Janet promised again, squeezing her best friend's hand gently as she walked from the room.

"So, now what? I can't stand much more of this waiting around."

"Well, what time is it?" Jonas asked.

"It's 1700 hours, Jonas. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"I was thinking that we can grab a bite to eat since we haven't eaten anything since this morning right after I got here. That way we can kill some time and help ourselves in the process."

"That's a good idea, I think. Jonas is right that we haven't eaten anything since early this morning and I don't know about everybody else but I'm starting to get really hungry. Besides, if we go down to the cafeteria for a little bit, it'll keep our minds off of what's going on up here and that way we won't be going out of our minds wondering when we can go and see Jack and Daniel." Sarah agreed as Sam nodded and walked over to her.

"Okay. Let's go get some food and then we'll go from there and see what happens. As it is, we aren't going to do any good to anyone if we're starving to death." Hammond broke in finally.

"Indeed."

After letting someone on staff know where they would be if they were needed, they all walked down to the cafeteria and got some lunch.

* * *

In the cafeteria, the hungry group were seated around a small table having some sandwiches. It proved to be a very good way to keep their minds off of what was going on upstairs. Knowing that the surgery was over took a huge load off of the women's minds, which was obvious by the fact that Sarah had managed to inhale two sandwiches in ten minutes.

"Sarah, are you hungry? You seem to be inhaling that food." Sam noted with a slight amusement.

"I'm starving. I think I just didn't realize it before because I was too preoccupied with all that was going on. Now that we know that the worst is over, I guess my stomach just kind of took over." Sarah laughed.

"You both do appear to feel much better since you have received the news that the operation has gone well. It is my belief that once you are allowed to see O'Neill and Daniel Jackson you will slowly return to your normal selves." Teal'c observed in his typical stoic manner.

"How can you possibly know that, Teal'c?"

"Because I... think what he means is... that once you guys see with your... own eyes that... everything's okay then you'll... stop being on edge and feel better." Jonas interjected through bites of his food, extracting laughter from his companions.

"Oh, I just noticed something. Sarah, where did that jewel on your necklace come from? You didn't have that on when we got here this morning. Where'd you get it? It's very pretty."

"Well, this morning when we got to the hospital before... everything... Daniel and I were talking and he was trying to reassure me. Anyway, he gave me this gem. He said he found it at a dig he was on years ago and it's very old. It's a little piece of him that I can hold onto when I can't physically be beside him." Sarah explained, fingering the sparkling gem around her neck, watching as the lights hit it at the right angle and reflected a rainbow of lights onto her palm.

"That sounds like something that Daniel would do. Actually before Jack went into surgery he told me to hold onto his tags while he was in the operating room. It makes me feel a little better to have them for some reason."

"Well, I think we should be making our way back up to the waiting room since we're finished eating. We've been down here for about twenty minutes and by the time we get back up there, Dr. Fraiser should be ready for you two to go and be with Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson." Hammond broke in, gently reminding them of the time.

After getting up and throwing away their garbage, the five headed to the elevator and went back up to the surgical floor and as they walked into the waiting room, Janet was standing there waiting for them to return. Sarah's stomach was tied in knots as they approached her.

"Janet, is something wrong?" Sam whispered nervously.

"Oh, no, no. Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine. I just wanted to tell you that we've moved Jack and Daniel out of recovery and they're in private rooms now. You can see them if you want."

"How are they doing?"

"They're both doing well considering what they've just been through. Of course, as I told you before, they are both heavily sedated and we're going to have to keep them that way for the next 48 hours to give them a chance to begin healing. Other than that, there aren't any other problems. No signs of rejection or complications from the surgery. I'm confident that they'll both make a full recovery. It's not going to happen overnight, though, and it won't be an easy road but with love and support both of them will be back on their feet and hopping planets in no time and they obviously have plenty of love and support." Janet confirmed, smiling at her friends.

"Good work, Dr. Fraiser. I'll see that you're commended for this." Hammond acknowledged.

"Thank you, sir. Now, Sam, Sarah, if you would both come with me please, there are a couple of people who would like to see you."

* * *

As Sarah walked into Daniel's room, at first she got a knot in her stomach when she saw him lying unconscious on the hospital bed. Then that knot was soon replaced by a feeling on intense relief that came from knowing that he was going to be okay and would make a full recovery.

"I'm right here, Daniel. It's all over. That was a very heroic thing that you did, even if you don't see it that way, and I am so very proud of you. Jack's going to make a full recovery too. When you wake up in a couple of days I'll be right here by your side. I won't go far from you. I promise." Sarah whispered, taking Daniel's hand and stroking his arm gently.

For a long time, Sarah sat by Daniel's side, whispering softly to him and talking to him about things that she knew he was interested in. She knew she had to make sure he knew that the people he cared about were all there for him. As she sat there, Sarah realized how peaceful and angelic Daniel seemed as he slept. The thought occurred to her that this was a big change from the stress he normally showed after his day to day work at the SGC. At the same time, a sense of relief washed over her as she realized that Daniel really was okay and she didn't have to worry about his safety anymore.

"Everyone is here, Daniel. We're all pulling for you and Jack to hurry up and recover. I heard Sam telling Teal'c earlier that she promised Jack that we'd all go out and do something spontaneous and crazy after you recover completely and we can take you guys out of here. I think that sounds like a really fun idea. I'm going to be right here beside you every step of the way." Sarah said reassuringly as she maintained her constant vigil by his side.

* * *

At the same time, Sam was keeping vigil at Jack's bedside. She was very glad to see that Jack was okay and that everything was over. She was sitting by the bed, holding Jack's hand and talking softly to him.

"Hey, Jack. Everything's over now. Janet says that you're going to be fine. Daniel's doing fine too. I'm trying to think of something spontaneous that we can all do after you guys get out of here and I have a few really good ideas. I can't wait for you to wake up so I can tell you some of them. It's going to take a while for you to recover but I promise you that I'm going to stay beside you every step of the way." Sam said quietly, raising Jack's limp hand to her lips and kissing it gently.

"Major." Hammond said casually from the doorway.

"Yes, sir." Sam announced routinely, attempting to leap up and salute him.

"At ease, Sam. I just came to see how Jack was holding up before I leave. I need to head back to the mountain to check on a few things. I'll be back in the morning. Teal'c and Jonas are going to stay here in case you need anything."

"Okay. If you don't mind my asking sir, with respect, how long were you standing there just now."

"A few moments. Long enough to confirm what I've suspected for a long time. I know you have feelings for Jack and that he has the same feelings for you." Hammond confirmed as Sam's cheeks turned bright red. Then he walked over slowly to his friend and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Jack. I know that if anyone can come through a situation like this better than they went in, it's you. But just in case you need it, I have a little bit of incentive for you. If you come out of this, I'm willing to bend a certain regulation for you. Not like you usually do a good job abiding by them anyway." Hammond paused to turn to Sam, who smiled wryly. "Just wake up and come through this roadblock and then we'll go out for drinks and discuss it."

"Do you mean what I think you mean, General?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Yes, I do. After this whole thing is over, I'm going to look the other way if you and Jack want to start a relationship. I'm really not one to dictate matters of love to anybody."

"This is amazing. I never thought that anything like this would ever happen. All I can say is thank you, sir. Thank you very much."

"It's actually something I've been thinking about for a long time. So, how's Jack doing?"

"Well, he seems to be okay right now. Actually he seems pretty calm. I'm just glad that its all over and I don't have to worry about it as much anymore. The best thing is that I don't feel as helpless anymore. I don't ever want to feel like that again, sir. It's the worst feeling I've ever had in my life." Sam admitted.

"I understand how you feel. But like you said, you don't have to worry anymore. All you need to concentrate on right now is being here for Jack when he needs you. I'm going to go now and let you both get some rest. I'm going to look in on Dr. Jackson for a moment before I head back to the base." Hammond said softly.

"Goodnight, sir."

* * *

Sarah was still in Daniel's room, watching and fussing over his sleeping form when she heard footsteps in the hallway. The fact that these footsteps sounded like they were coming closer startled her. She still felt a little uneasy and it didn't help when the sounds stopped right outside the door.

"Who's there?" Sarah demanded, not turning around.

"It's just me, Sarah. I'm sorry if I startled you. I wanted to come and check on Daniel before I head back to the SGC. So, how's our boy?" Hammond apologized as he stepped into the room.

"Well, he seems to be doing okay. The only positive thing about this arrangement here is that he doesn't seem to be in any pain right now. I'm just so very proud of him for what he's done. If I had been in his shoes, I honestly can't say that I would have done the same thing. At least now it's all over and our lives can start to get back to normal." Sarah said, keeping her voice unnecessarily quiet.

"I know how you feel. I need to go back to the SGC now to take care of a few things. I'll come back in the morning to check up on things. If you need anything, Teal'c and Jonas are in the waiting room and of course Dr. Fraiser is still here."

"Okay. Thank you for stopping by."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Sam began to feel like she was going to go stir crazy if she didn't do something to keep herself distracted. So after pondering for a moment on what she should do, she finally decided to take a walk to the waiting room and talk to Teal'c.

Sam walked into the quiet waiting room and stopped just inside the doorway, debating whether or not she should venture further. She found Teal'c sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, flipping through a magazine and keeping an alert ear for anything out of the ordinary. Jonas, on the other hand, was sleeping peacefully on one of the couches along the back wall, the long and tiring day combined with his early arrival through the Stargate having completely exhausted him. After a moment, Sam walked into the room and headed over to where Teal'c sat. At the sound of her silent approach, the Jaffa looked up from what he was reading and spoke softly to her.

"Are you all right, Major Carter?" Teal'c asked softly.

"I'm okay, Teal'c. I just can't stand not being about to do anything for Jack and I really just wanted someone to talk to. You don't mind keeping me company for a little while do you?"

"I do not. Your friends are always here for you when we are needed. I am not sure of the reason that you believe that you are able to do nothing for O'Neill. Your presence beside him helps the matter more than you are aware."

"I didn't really think of that, Teal'c. I'm going to go back in a bit. I needed to get out of there for a minute and clear the cram of things out of my mind. I wish I could be as calm and levelheaded as you are in these types of situations. I don't see how Jonas can sleep like that with all the tension going on around here. He must have been exhausted." Sam commented casually, trying to find anything to create conversation about.

"Indeed he was. Jonas Quinn stated to me earlier that he had not engaged in sleep for more than 24 hours prior to coming through the Stargate this morning. I believe you to be much stronger and more levelheaded than you see yourself to be. This day has indeed been stressful, yet you have done well in concealing how much you truly are affected. The amount of control you have demonstrated during this difficult time is most impressive. It is my belief that your courage would rival that of any Jaffa." Teal'c confirmed.

"I really appreciate that, Teal'c. Thank you. I knew that coming to talk to you was a good idea. I still think that the sooner we can get Jack and Daniel out of this place and back to a normal routine, the better it'll be for everybody. I think I'm going to go back and sit with Jack now. Who knows, maybe my presence _will_ make a difference somehow. Thanks for helping me to feel better."

"You are welcome. Goodnight, Major Carter."

* * *

Sam walked back into Jack's hospital room, determined to stay there beside him until he opened his eyes and could talk to her. She smiled at a fleeting thought as she sat in the chair beside the bed and took his hand in her own.

"Hey, Jack. I'm back now and I'll stay with you the entire time until we can take you guys out of here. I was just thinking how much I'd love to hear one of your ridiculous jokes right about now. I can't wait until you can wake up and tell me some. I'm right here. You're going to be okay."

For about an hour, Sam stayed like that, holding Jack's hand and talking softly to him about everything and nothing. She wanted to make sure that he knew that she was there and wasn't going to leave his side for anything. After a while, Sam became tired from the long day that she'd had so she rested her head softly on Jack's arm, closed her eyes and fell asleep, preparing herself for whatever lay ahead in the coming day.


	8. Another Pleasant Surprise

Chapter 8: Another Pleasant Surprise

When he arrived back at the SGC at around 0100 hours, General Hammond first went to his office and went through some paperwork from what had gone on that day while he had been out. After taking about an hour to filter through what he needed to tend to, he walked into the control room where the gate technician was sitting at the computer terminal and looked up when Hammond approached.

"You're here late, sir. How did everything go with Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson?"

"Everything went well, Sergeant. I need you to dial up the coordinates for the Tok'ra base world. I want to send a message to Jacob Carter." Hammond ordered.

"Yes, sir."

After the seventh chevron locked on and the wormhole opened, Hammond coded a message to his old friend letting him know how things were going and making a personal request of him, along with an assurance that nothing was wrong and he only made this request to try to calm tensions.

"Do you think the Tok'ra will get the message?" The technician inquired as the Stargate disengaged at the end of the transmission.

"I hope so, Sergeant. I sure hope so."

* * *

At about 3:00 in the morning, Sarah was looking at whatever was on the television in Daniel's hospital room. She was trying to do anything that she could think of to keep her mind from wandering to all of the different possible outcomes and the what if scenarios. Then she turned her attention from the television and her frightening, worrisome thoughts to her fiancé sleeping on the bed. Sarah took his hand tightly in her own and let the knowledge that the risk was gone and that he was going to make a complete recovery wash over her mind and soul once again like a cleansing wave. Realizing that she would do good to rid her mind of these disturbing thoughts and images were plaguing her, Sarah left the room and decided to go down the hall and check on how Jack was holding up.

Sam was reading through one of her favorite books, which is what she liked to do in stressful times. She was so into the book she was reading that she was startled when she heard a soft knocking on the door. Putting the book down, she looked up to see who was there.

"Sarah. Are you okay?"

"I'm better now that I know that everything is getting back to normal and everyone is going to be fine. I wish I could keep the what ifs from taking over my mind though. That's one of the reasons I came in here at this hour. I wanted to talk to you. So, how's he doing?" Sarah asked, looking past Sam to glance at Jack on the hospital bed behind her, appearing slightly pale.

"He's holding his own right now. I just wish that he could open his eyes and throw one of his off keel jokes at me to make me laugh. I can't tell you how much I deem Daniel as a hero for what he's done to save Jack's life. I don't know if I'd tell him that though because I wouldn't want to embarrass him. To be honest with you, I've had a few thoughts about what might have happened if Daniel hadn't been willing to step up to the plate and do what he's done. Don't feel like you're alone in this, Sarah, because you're definitely not. I'm right in this with you and we need to support each other through the tail end of this." Sam reassured her quietly, placing an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"We will. I appreciate all the support that you've been giving me. I feel a little bad though that I was too wrapped up in my own fears and bad feelings to be much of a support beam for you. I know you needed someone to lean on too. This situation isn't about me but I've gone and made it that way. Can you forgive me for being so selfish?"

"Sarah, there's nothing to forgive because you have _not_ been selfish in the least little bit. You just handled your worry differently. No one can blame you for that. Actually I haven't been back here in the room for very long. I was going stir crazy too so I took a stroll to the waiting room to talk to Teal'c. So you shouldn't beat yourself up for being human."

"Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate it. So what are they up to in the waiting room? I hope Teal'c was able to help you." Sarah said.

"He did. Talking to him helped me get some perspective on things. Actually, Teal'c was the only one I could have talked to. When I went in there, Jonas was sound asleep on one of the couches. Teal'c said that he told him that he hadn't slept in over 24 hours when he came through the gate yesterday morning meaning that he'd actually been awake for longer than that, so he was completely exhausted." Sam smiled.

"Sometimes we never realize how great it is to have such loyal friends and how important those friends are to us until we get into times like this when we truly need them. Only true friends like Teal'c and Jonas would have stuck it out with us here for this long. I don't know about you but I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, I know, so do I. Friendship really is the glue that holds people together sometimes. So is love."

"That's true. But where did that come from? I've never heard you talk about things like that before." Sarah asked, a little surprised at the statement.

"I don't know. It's just something that I've been thinking about since I found out that this whole thing needed to happen. It's like I suddenly realized that there's something that I've been missing out on and it's, or should I say he's, been right in front of me staring me in the face the whole time. Now I have the opportunity to place that missing piece in my life. I just feel like I've have a new awakening in my life." Sam explained.

"I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same way for a long time after I got back together with Daniel. It was like when he wasn't in my life, some major part of it was missing and then after my ordeal when he came back into my life it was like it was whole and thriving again."

"Well, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who goes through these types of feelings."

"You aren't, Sam, and you never will be. Anyway, I need to go back to be with Daniel now. He needs me now more than he ever has before."

* * *

At 5:00 that morning, back at the SGC, the gate alarm blared through Cheyenne Mountain. Hammond rushed to the gate room from his office to see who was incoming.

"Incoming wormhole!"

"Who is it, Sergeant? We don't have any teams due back for another four hours."

"Wait a minute. Okay, here it is. Receiving Tok'ra IDC. Looks like they got your message, sir." The technician confirmed the computer display.

"Open the iris."

As the iris swooshed open, a team of six SF defense soldiers stood in strategic positions, their rifles at the ready. Within a few moments, Jacob Carter stepped through the Stargate and waited at the top of the ramp for clearance to come further.

"Defense team, stand down." Hammond ordered over the speaker, hurrying to the gate room as the SFs lowered their guns.

"George, what's going on? Don't tell me something went wrong. Are Jack and Daniel okay?" Jacob asked, concerned and a little confused.

"Everything is fine, Jacob. Sorry about the confusion of my message but I had to make sure you were the only one who received the true content."

"Understood. I don't understand why you sent for me if things are fine, though."

"Well, Jacob, I thought you should be here for Sam. She's been under a lot of stress these past couple of days, a lot more than any one person should have to handle, and I think it may be starting to affect her. The point I'm trying to make here is that I have an emotional embattled officer who really needs her father right now. We should really get to the hospital. It's across town so I'll have to drive you." Hammond clarified as he and Jacob headed out of the gate room, heading for the parking lot.

"You're one in a million, George." Jacob smiled as they stepped into the elevator, the doors pinged closed and the elevator car rose slowly toward the surface.

* * *

When Hammond and Jacob got to the hospital, the first stop they made was to go to the waiting room for a moment to make sure that nothing untoward had happened during the night. As soon as they entered the room, Teal'c stood and came to meet them in the doorway.

"Teal'c. What's going on?" Hammond asked as Teal'c lead them just outside the door and into the hallway.

"There is nothing wrong, General Hammond. I merely met you in the hallway because quiet in necessary. Jonas Quinn has fallen asleep and I do not wish to disturb him." Teal'c explained quietly, pausing as he noticed Jacob standing behind the General. "Jacob Carter, it is good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Teal'c. I appreciate you being a friend to Sam when she needs support. We'll catch up on everything later. Right now, I'm going to go and check on Jack and be with my daughter." Jacob smiled, clapping Teal'c on the back and heading down the hall in the direction that Hammond was indicating.

Sam had retaken her vigil at Jack's side and was telling him stories of the wild adventures and misadventures they had all shared in the past, reminiscing with the unconscious man on the bed in an attempt to keep his subconscious anchored more firmly to positive times.

"Then, after we figured out the secret of Kheb and defeated the Goa'uld we started to head out and you had to remind Daniel to go back and put on his shoes." Sam smiled, finishing her latest memory tale when she heard footsteps and felt the presence of someone standing in the doorway.

"Sam." Jacob said softly, stepping into the room completely.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Well, early this morning I received a message from Earth. I immediately recognized the handwriting and knew the letter was from George. Then after I took a minute to decipher the cryptic writing and figure out what the hell the message meant, I got the meaning clearly. I came through the gate, came here, because you need my help. I'm here because my baby girl needs her father."

The love and support in Jacob's voice was the little push Sam needed to send her over the edge. The stress and fear that she'd been hiding for the past couple of days in order to be strong for Jack came rushing forward, and suddenly she was a scared twelve-year-old again who needed her Daddy to reassure her. Sam started to cry then, and she jumped up, rushing across the room and into the open arms of her father.

"Oh, God. I've been so scared, Dad. This is the first time since Mom was killed that I've been in a situation where I was completely helpless to do anything at all. Now that I know and can see with my own eyes that Jack's all right, I can't help but entertain what if scenarios. I've never been this afraid in my life. I really need you, Dad." Sam cried, her tears soaking into the shoulder of Jacob's tunic.

"I know, Sam. I'm here now, honey. I was on a recovery mission when this thing started but I'm here now. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I love you, Sam. I love you so much." Jacob whispered soothingly, stroking his daughter's back to calm her.

"I love you, Dad."

* * *

Sarah was asleep in the chair next to Daniel's bed, her head resting lightly on his arm. It made her feel comfortable to know that she could be close to him if he needed her. She had made a promise to Daniel as well as to herself when this whole thing began that if she had any control whatsoever over it, she would be there by Daniel's side when he finally woke up.

About an hour later, Sarah woke to hear noises permeating the room around her. She sat up quickly and looked around. But she only saw Janet checking the readings on the monitors that Daniel was hooked to.

"Sarah. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay. In times like this, it's hard to sleep very well anyway. Is he showing signs of waking up."

"No, I'm sorry. We won't be able to being either of them out of sedation until tomorrow afternoon. I promise you that no harm will come to Daniel. You said you trusted me, right?" Janet began as Sarah nodded her head. "Okay. Then you need to be patient with me for one more day. After that things can get back to normal. All you need to do for Daniel right now is what you're already doing. He needs your support and he needs to know that you're here."

"I understand. It's just really frustrating to stay by Daniel's side when he's not even aware of my presence." Sarah said, slight frustration evident in her voice.

"If there's one thing that I know from all my years of experience, it's this. Even though Daniel is unconscious and can't respond to your voice, it does not under any circumstances mean that he is unaware of your presence. I know for a fact that he is perfectly aware that you're here and that you are supporting him. Don't stop believing that."

"I know. I'm sorry I was short with you just now. It's just that seeing Daniel lying there helpless like that has me a little on edge."

"It's okay. I understand how you must be feeling. You know I have a daughter and if it was Cassandra in Daniel's place and me in yours, I'd be just as short tempered and impatient as you are right now. To make you feel hopefully a little better, I have some positive news. Other than the fact that he's sedated, Daniel's doing well. He's healing as he should be and well on the road to recovery. From what I saw this earlier this morning, Colonel O'Neill's condition is stable as well."

"That is good news. If things keep going as they are, it sounds to me like it won't be very long before things will be back to being exactly as they were before." Sarah whispered, twirling the gem on her necklace between her fingers.

"Not long at all. Actually, you'll be pleased to know that when we bring them out of the sedation and make sure their conditions hold stable, the Colonel and Daniel should be cleared to leave the hospital and go home in 48 hours. Basically what I'm saying is that if things go like they should, you'll have Daniel back home with you within 72 hours. You just need to hang on until then. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to finish my rounds." Janet said, squeezing Sarah's hand gently before she left the room to continue her work.

* * *

After Jacob left Sam alone, she took Jack's hand and once again began talking to him. All she could think about was when Jack could wake up and talk back to her. She wanted nothing more than to hear his voice.

"Hey, Jack. You have another link in your support ladder. My dad came through the Stargate a little while ago and he'll stick around as long as he can. He gives you his best wishes, so does Selmak." Sam smiled a little at her own words. "You need to wake up soon. There are so many things that we have to talk about. Above all, I just want to get everything back to being the way it should be."

A short time later, Sam heard a soft knocking on the door. She turned her head and smiled when she saw Teal'c and Jonas standing in the doorway.

"Good morning, Major Carter." Teal'c said quietly.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

"We just wanted to know if you wanted to walk down with us to get something for breakfast. It might do good for you to get out of this little room for a little while, too." Jonas commented.

"Yeah, I think I will come with you to get something to eat. Where are my dad and General Hammond?"

"They have already gone downstairs to the cafeteria and are indeed finding a table at which we may sit."

"Okay. Let's go and see if Sarah wants to come with us and then go get some food. I am pretty hungry." Sam smiled as she turned to her Kelownan friend. "You seem to be much more rested, Jonas."

"What are you talking about?"

"I got a little stir crazy during the night and decided to seek a little distraction so I went to talk to Teal'c. Anyway, when I came in, you were conked out on one of the couches in the waiting room. Teal'c mentioned to me that it had been more than a day since you'd last slept. Then on top of that you came through the gate pretty early yesterday and we all know firsthand how tiring gate travel can be sometimes."

"Well, I do feel pretty well rested. I know you're probably thinking of saying something like I should have taken a nap or something before I came through but helping friends who are in a tough spot was a much stronger priority. I know that in a similar situation you would do the same thing I did." Jonas said gently, squeezing Sam's shoulder.

"Okay. Wait here, guys. I'll go try to convince Sarah to come to breakfast with us. I shouldn't be very long."

Sam walked in and approached Sarah slowly, clearing her throat as she approached to avoid scaring her friend. She didn't want to frighten her more than she already was.

"Sarah. How's he doing?"

"Hi, Sam. He's doing pretty well. Dr. Fraiser says that other than the fact that he's still sedated, he seems to be fine. I just wish he would wake up and look at me with those beautiful blue eyes of his so I can know once and for all that this is over and everything is going to be okay." Sarah said quietly.

"Well, I have an idea that might help you to distract yourself at least for a few minutes. Come down to get some breakfast with us. I know you have to be hungry. It's been hours since the last time you've had anything to eat. Besides, if you stay here all you're going to do is drive yourself crazy."

"Sure. I am pretty hungry. It'll be tomorrow before Daniel will wake up anyway so I might as well take a little break. Okay, I'll come get something to eat with you."

"Great. Come on, let's go. Jonas and Teal'c are waiting outside for us."

A few minutes later, they were in the elevator heading down to the cafeteria to meet Hammond and Jacob. It was then that Sam decided to say something that she'd had on her mind for the past several hours.

"You know, guys, I think I am definitely one very lucky person. I mean, I have the greatest group of friends that anyone could ever ask for and now I suddenly have an opportunity that I never thought would open itself up to me. My point is that I don't believe I could have gotten through this thing with my sanity if it hadn't been for you guys." Sam said as her three friends enveloped her in a large group hug as the elevator reached the bottom and the doors pinged open for them.


	9. Awakening

Chapter 9: Awakening

Hammond and Jacob had managed to find a large empty table in the hospital cafeteria and were sitting down having coffee and talking while they waited on the other four to come and meet them.

"So, George, you haven't really told me how this whole mess got started in the first place. When I got here all you told me was what was going on but you never said how it happened." Jacob asked.

"Well, apparently yesterday Jack had a routine examination with Dr. Fraiser and when she ran the results of his blood work, it showed that his liver function had severely decreased and he needed a transplant to live longer than six months to a year. So Dr. Jackson went online when he found out about it and found a site on live donation. He and Dr. Fraiser discussed it, discovered it to be a viable option and here we are now."

"No wonder Sam was so upset. None of them could have possibly had enough time to let anything sink in before things hit the fan with full force. I can't imagine having to absorb something like this so quickly."

"That's true. This has been a stressful time that's taken a toll on everyone involved. When Jonas came through yesterday morning and surprised us it was a very welcomed way to break the tension." Hammond agreed as he caught sight of the others walking into the cafeteria. "Here they are."

A few minutes later the other four had gotten something to eat and they were all sitting around the large table, taking advantage of each other's company and getting away from the "front line" of what was happening.

"Jacob, when exactly did you get here. I didn't even know you'd come through until Teal'c told me earlier." Jonas asked casually.

"Well, I got a message through the Stargate at about 0100 hours this morning. It was a handwritten, message in a bottle sort of thing. At first, it was more than a little confusing but after I realized there was only one person who would send a message to me like that, I was able to decrypt what the main point was and I got to Earth at about 0500. When we got back here, Teal'c came and met us outside the waiting room saying that you were asleep. That's probably why you didn't realize I was here." Jacob answered, grinning as Jonas turned bright red and Sam patted his shoulder lightly.

"This was a good idea to detach myself from the situation for a few minutes. I'm glad I decided to come with you guys this morning. Plus, I didn't realize how hungry I was until I put that first bite of food in my mouth." Sarah commented as she took a long sip of juice.

"Well, now that everyone appears to be done, I think our break is over. We really need to get back to the guys. I don't want to be away from Jack too long in case something were to happen." Sam said, heading out of the cafeteria as Sarah nodded her agreement and followed in her wake.

* * *

As Sam and Sarah got off of the elevator together on the surgical floor and walked to Jack's room, they were startled to see Janet standing right outside the door apparently waiting for them. Sam instinctively grasped Jack's tags that hung around her neck with her own and her knees were shaking so badly that Sarah had to support her.

"Janet. What's wrong?" Sam finally managed to ask, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Nothing's wrong. Oh, God. I'm sorry, Sam, I didn't mean to scare you. Everything's okay. Actually things are better than okay. I'm glad that Sarah's with you because I want to tell this news to both of you."

"What news?" Sarah spat out eagerly.

"Well, I just got done checking on Colonel O'Neill and Daniel and I found that their conditions have vastly improved since last night. Actually, they've both improved so much that we're going to bring them out of sedation today. I thought you'd both want to be here so I waited on you." Janet began as Sarah collapsed to her knees in relief and Sam knelt beside her, hugging her. "First I need to tell you how this is going to work. What I'm going to do is stop the sedatives that we've been running into their IV lines so that they won't be affecting them anymore. But it's going to take a few hours before they'll regain consciousness, they won't wake up right away. This is almost over so you're going to have to be patient for just a little longer."

"At least we'll be able to get back to a little bit of a sense of normalcy in our lives. This is the first step to getting this whole thing over with. Where do we start?" Sam asked warily as she helped Sarah back to her feet.

"Since we're already here, I thought I'd start with Colonel O'Neill. Then I'll go and tend to Daniel. Sarah, if you want you can go to Daniel's room and wait for me there. This won't take very long and I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you." Sarah said as she turned and hurried down the hall.

* * *

As Janet and Sam walked into Jack's room, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of Sam's heart. She couldn't wait for the sedative that Jack had been under since the surgery had ended to wear off so he would wake up and make one of his crazy jokes to make her laugh or simply look at her with those big brown eyes that she loved so much. As Sam watched as Janet disconnected the drug from Jack's IV line, her face lit up with a bright smile as her heart soared.

"There we go. It's all done. It should only take a few hours for him to start to come around. I've disconnected the sedatives, now the rest is up to him. Try talking to him, Sam. Hearing your voice may help pull him out of it a little sooner." Janet said reassuringly. "You look more relaxed than you've seemed in a couple of days."

"Yeah, I am. I think it's because I know that in a few hours things will start getting back to normal and it's finally starting to sink in that I don't have to worry anymore." Sam admitted.

"Well, I can't stay with you for now. I have to go and see to Daniel so he can come back to Sarah. My guess is when they wake up both Jack and Daniel will be surprised at how many people have ended up here supporting them."

"I agree. They will be pleasantly surprised."

Sarah was back in Daniel's room, sitting by his side, when she heard Janet enter. Upon hearing her, she turned her head and offered a smile.

"Hey, Sarah. It's time to get this thing over. I'm sure you're ready to have Daniel wake up and come back to you." Janet said softly, walking over to stand next to the bed.

"More than you know. I just wanted to tell you that before when I said that even though I didn't trust the situation at all I did trust you, I meant what I said. I was afraid, I won't lie about that, but somehow I knew that no matter what happened you would bring Daniel back to me and now that's exactly what you're doing." Sarah whispered.

"That means a lot to me. What I'm going to do now is disconnect the sedation from the IV line. Once I do that, he won't be directly affected by the medication anymore. After that, it should only take a few hours for him to wake up. Like I told Sam, if you talk to him and let him hear your voice it may bring him out of it a little sooner."

"Thank you. I'll do that. I know I've said this before, Janet, but I appreciate what you've done here. You stayed with Daniel and Jack, making sure that they were safe and came out of this okay."

"You're welcome."

As Sarah watched, Janet disconnected the medication from the IV port that was keeping Daniel sedated. When Janet was finished and Sarah went back to her fiancé's side, her heart was light because she knew that there truly was no more danger and soon Daniel would awaken and undoubtedly put untold amounts of energy into trying to reassure her. Taking his hand in her own, she settled in for the wait.

* * *

Back in the waiting room, the other four had just arrived from the cafeteria and were wondering what was going on with their friends. For a long moment, they were silent with quiet wondering and reverence of what had transpired up to that point.

"I wish we could have some way of knowing what was going on with Jack and Daniel. I know that if something wasn't right someone would have surely said something, but still it's a little unsettling."

"I concur, Jonas Quinn. It is indeed unnerving to be unaware if things are still well." Teal'c agreed solemnly.

"The thing is that if we're feeling this anxious right now I can't even begin to imagine what Sam and Sarah were going through while they were still in surgery and we didn't know anything. I mean, who would've thought that we'd be in this type of situation to begin with." Jonas said thoughtfully.

"Well, sometimes things just happen that we can't foresee, Jonas. I do agree though that it's not very productive that we're sitting in here on our hands when we could be at least finding out something about what's going on. Hey, I have an idea. I'm going to go and talk to Sam and see if I can't find out something." Jacob reasoned.

"That's a good idea, Jacob. Then at least we'll know for sure that things are still on the right track." Hammond agreed as Jacob nodded slightly and headed out the door to talk to his daughter.

* * *

Sam was sitting with Jack, talking to him softly and trying to help him to come around. She just hoped that Janet was right and her voice would help to bring him back.

"Hey. It's almost completely over. Janet discontinued the sedation she had you under so you're free to come back to us. There are several things that I want to tell you about so you need to hurry up and wake up so I can fill you in on everything. More than anything, I miss you, Jack. Now that I don't have to worry myself to death I realize how much I miss you around to talk to." Sam whispered, turning fast when she heard a soft knock on the door frame. She relaxed and smiled a little when she saw Jacob standing there. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Sam. How are things holding up? We were sitting on our hands back in the waiting room trying to figure out what's happening and I decided to come and see if you've heard anything new."

"Actually, something wonderful has happened. Janet said that Jack and Daniel have recovered enough that they didn't need to be sedated anymore so she disconnected the sedatives about an hour or so ago. They should wake up before too long. God, Dad, I can't tell you how relieved I am that this thing is finally over."

"That's great, honey. I know that you've been under a lot of stress since this thing started and I'm glad for everyone involved that everything can start getting back to normal." Jacob said, pausing for a moment as if listening for something Sam couldn't hear. "Oh, and Selmak says that he'll help in the process if he can."

"I appreciate that but I hope that won't be necessary now. If things keep progressing this well, then everything will be as it was before within a few weeks." Sam laughed, touched by the concern of her father's symbiote.

"Sam, I can't imagine what you've been through with all this. You couldn't have possibly had time to process what was happening. No wonder you were so afraid and felt so helpless. I only wish I would have been here for you when you needed me most. If I'd understood how serious the situation truly was, I'd have had one of the other Tok'ra replace me on the mission I was doing and come to you a lot sooner than I did. You needed me and I let you down again. I feel like I put my work first. I'm so sorry, Sam."

"Dad, you don't need to be sorry. You didn't let me down. I understand the importance of the work that you do for the Tok'ra in the fight against the Goa'uld. You couldn't have gotten out of what you were doing. What matters to me, Dad, is that you came as soon as you could and you're here now. I love you, Dad. Don't ever doubt that."

"I love you too, Sam. I just don't want to let you down again like I did in the past." Jacob said softly, embracing his daughter tightly.

"You won't, Dad. I promise, you won't." Sam whispered.

"Well, I hate to leave you alone but I need to go and let everyone else know what's happened now. I'll come back and check up on you again later. Give Jack our best."

* * *

Jacob walked back into the waiting room at the end of the hall and was immediately greeted by three curious, anxious faces wanting to know what was going on. He approached the group and smiled encouragingly at them.

"Jacob? What did you find out? Did Sam tell you anything about what's happening?" Hammond asked his friend.

"Well, Sam told me that there has been a big development. Janet has pulled the sedation and they should wake up in a couple of hours." Jacob smiled.

"This is indeed good news." Teal'c said happily.

"Exactly. You could have cut the tension with a knife so far. I'm just glad that things are getting better." Jonas pointed out.

"I haven't seen Sam so relieved in a long time. She told me earlier today that this is the first time in a long time she'd felt that helpless in any situation. The sooner that this whole thing is over and done with the better for everyone involved."

"Yeah, I can't say I'd argue with that, Jacob. Fortunately this will all be over very soon and we can all get back to the normal routine of our lives. I'm sure by tomorrow Jack's going to be pestering Janet to let him out of here so he can get back to work." Hammond agreed, causing the others to laugh at the truth of the statement.

"It appears that there is nothing further to be done now than wait for O'Neill and Daniel Jackson to awaken. I hope it will not be long." Teal'c pointed out with a solemn nod of his head.

* * *

About an hour later, Sarah was sitting faithfully at Daniel's bedside talking to him as Janet had suggested, hoping that he would soon wake up and look at her or talk to her. Soon enough, her hopes were founded as she felt Daniel slowly begin to stir under her touch and his hand tightened around hers. Sarah looked up in surprise, just in time to see Daniel's sleepy blue eyes open and look directly into hers.

"Sarah?" Daniel mumbled, trying to focus his vision without his glasses.

"Hey. I'm here. It's all over now. How do you feel?" Sarah asked to which Daniel replied with a half smile and a nod of his head as she handed him his glasses and helped him to put them on.

"Thanks. That's better. Now I can see you."

"I'm glad. That was a very brave thing you did, Daniel. I am so very proud of you."

"Did it work? How's Jack? Is he okay?" Daniel asked anxiously.

"Jack's fine. Janet said that things went perfectly and there were no complications at all. Just relax, everything's okay." Sarah soothed, gently stroking Daniel's brow to calm his nervousness.

"That's good. I feel better now."

"Welcome back, Daniel." Janet smiled as she entered the room, responding to the call bell that Sarah had activated when Daniel had awakened.

"Thanks. From what I hear, you need to be congratulated on a job well done. Jack's okay, I'm okay. You did a great job." Daniel smiled but his smile immediately faded as his pain became obvious to him.

"Hold on, Daniel. I'll go get something for that pain. I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, Janet returned with a syringe of medication that she injected into the IV port. Then she patted her friend's arm and left the room to give the couple some privacy and to let Daniel rest.

"You'll feel better in a little while, sweetheart. Just relax and close your eyes."

"But I think I've slept enough from what I gather. How long have I been out anyway?" Daniel protested, though his body wasn't listening as his eyes began slowly drooping.

"You've been sleeping for two days but you need all the rest you can get right now. That was an extreme ordeal you went through. So close your eyes and get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." Sarah whispered, gently stroking her fiancé's arm to help him relax. Within moments, Daniel could no longer fight the drowsiness that was claiming him and he slipped back into a sound sleep, barely feeling Sarah place a kiss on his forehead.

* * *

At the same time, Sam was sitting with Jack. She was talking to him constantly about things that she knew were pleasant to him in an attempt to bring him back to the conscious world.

"I can't wait until I can tell you about the things that have gone on while you've been sleeping. Something tells me that you're going to be very surprised when you hear it all." Sam said quietly, resting her hand lightly on Jack's arm.

"Well then you'd better keep it to yourself. You know how much I hate surprises." Jack murmured sleepily as he opened his eyes and brought his free hand over to cover the top of Sam's hand.

"Hey, Jack. How do you feel? Are you hurting?"

"Not too bad. Especially when you were who I got to wake up to. I feel healthy again."

"I'm glad to hear that. After you completely recover we have a lot to talk about."

"Like that crazy, spontaneous thing that we were going to plan for SG-1 after this is all over. Whatever that ends up being." Jack said, shooting Sam a tired, lopsided grin.

"You remembered." Sam beamed, tears of relief glistening in her eyes.

"Of course I did. I may be getting older but my mind's not going yet."

"I know. Actually I have some ideas for that. After you rest for a bit, we'll discuss them."

"Sam, I just wanted to tell you that…." Janet began from the doorway, causing Sam and Jack to both turn their attention to her.

"Tell me what, Janet." Sam asked.

"That Daniel woke up a few minutes ago. I was also going to tell you that the Colonel would probably be waking up soon but I guess I don't need to tell you that now. Are you feeling okay, sir?"

"I'm feeling pretty good, Doc. Considering what I've just been through. Just a little tired. Might take a nap here in a minute. But it's not me I'm concerned about at the moment. How's Daniel? He's the hero in this." Jack answered with a yawn.

"He's doing fine, sir. He was in a little pain so I gave him something for it and he's asleep at the moment. Now that both of you are awake, we're over the peak of the mountain that we were facing. It's all downhill from here. You and Daniel will be back hopping planets in about a month." Janet reassured him quietly.

"Good. I'm glad. Nice work, Janet." Jack mumbled, giving Sam a heartwarming smile as he faded back into sleep.

"Get some rest, Jack. You've been through hell so you definitely need it." Sam smiled, running a hand over Jack's hair and kissing his forehead softly.


	10. Healing Begins

Chapter 10: Healing Begins

Janet walked happily down the hall into the waiting room to let the four waiting there know that Jack and Daniel were awake. As she entered the room to four sets of anxious eyes, she couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"Janet, what's going on? What's happened?" Hammond asked sharply.

"Well, sir, I'm pleased to say that I'm the bearer of good news."

"Please elaborate, Dr. Fraiser." Teal'c requested quietly as Jacob and Jonas exchanged a puzzled look.

"I just wanted to let you know that the Colonel and Daniel have regained consciousness. They're both asleep right now but I'm glad to be able to say that the worst is over."

"Are you kidding?" Jonas asked enthusiastically, looking up as Janet shook her head in confirmation. "That's fantastic. Now things can start getting back to normal."

"I'll say one thing. It's definitely for the best that this thing is over. I don't know how much more of this Sam and Sarah could have handled." Jacob agreed.

"Well, they won't have to handle anymore, Jacob. Like Janet said, the worst is over. Everything can start getting back to normal soon." Hammond smiled, clapping Jacob on the back and giving Janet an approving look.

"I can't stay. I have a few more patients to look in on and then I'm going to look in on the Colonel and Daniel again. If anything else changes I'll stop in and let you know."

"Very well. Thank you, Dr. Fraiser and again well done."

"Yes, sir. I'm glad everything worked out for the best." Janet said, heading out of the room to continue with her work.

* * *

A short while later, Sam was reading an article in a science journal as she waited for Jack to wake up again. She was actually getting into the material she was reading since Jack had regained consciousness which meant she could read the entire piece as opposed to reading the same paragraph over and over. In fact, she was so engrossed with what she was reading that it startled her when she sensed the presence of a symbiote. She looked up, ready to spring up and protect Jack if necessary, and relaxed when she saw Jacob standing in the doorway and realized the symbiote presence she'd felt was simply that of Selmak.

"Dad. What are you doing?" Sam asked, trying to calm herself.

"Sorry if we startled you, Sam. I just wanted to come and see how Jack was doing and maybe keep you company for a little while. Judging from the looks of things I'd say Jack's going to be out for a while longer." Jacob paused to glance over Sam's shoulder to where Jack slept on the bed. "I just thought you might like to have someone to talk to."

"Thanks, Dad. I would like the company. When you came in I was just reading an article in one of my magazines. This is the first chance I've had to actually do something with it rather than spend an hour reading the same paragraph time and time again."

"I'm glad to see that things are getting back to normal. No one should have to go through what has had to be endured over these last few days. I'm very proud of you for the way you've handled this, Sam. You've always been very strong."

"The only thing that matters is that it's all over now and Jack and Daniel can begin down the road to healing. Thanks to Janet's skill and Daniel's quick thinking, in a matter of a few weeks, we'll be back exploring planets and everything will be exactly as it was before. I appreciate you coming here, Dad. I know that you have your hands full keeping the Tok'ra hidden from the Goa'uld." Sam said, reaching out and grasping her father's hand.

"Sam, the thing that matters to me more than anything is your happiness. Nothing in this or any world is more important to me than being here for my little girl." Jacob whispered, taking Sam into his arms and embracing her strongly.

* * *

Sarah was sitting by Daniel's bedside as he slept, relief radiating from her heart as she allowed the knowledge to sink in that the danger had passed and things were going to be fine now. She began singing softly to Daniel as he slept and turned abruptly, startled, when she heard a soft knock on the door. She smiled softly as Teal'c and Jonas entered the room.

"Hi. What's going on?"

"Jonas Quinn and I have come to request that you accompany us for some lunch. It has been several hours since you have last eaten." Teal'c stated quietly.

"I appreciate your offer but I can't leave. I don't want to leave Daniel here by himself. I don't want him to be alone in case he wakes up."

"I have a simple solution to your problem. I'll stay here with Daniel so someone will be here if he wakes up. You go with Teal'c and get something to eat. You're not going to be any help to him at all if you don't eat and make yourself sick. I'm not really all that hungry right now anyway. I'll just grab something later." Jonas offered.

"Okay. I'll go with you, Teal'c. I am a little hungry. Jonas, make sure you let me know if Daniel wakes up." Sarah agreed.

"Of course. You have my word on it." With that, Sarah headed to the cafeteria with Teal'c to get lunch, leaving Jonas to keep watch over the sleeping Daniel.

* * *

Two hours later, Sam was sitting in Jack's room with Jacob, glad that her father had come to sit with her, when Jack opened his eyes as he slowly began to awaken. He looked around the room, confused when he saw Jacob there. Just then, his eyes came into focus as Sam came over to the bed and stood smiling down at him.

"Hey, sleepyhead. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up." Sam joked.

"Well, you know how it is. Getting a new lease on life tends to take a lot out of a person." Jack retorted, gripping Sam's hand firmly as she giggled.

"I'm just glad you're awake now. How are you feeling?"

"A little better. I'm not hurting as much anymore. It looks like you've had some company. How've you been, Jacob? What are you doing here anyway? Did something go wrong that I don't know about?"

"I've been well, Jack. To answer your question, nothing went wrong. The reason I'm here is because George sent me a message. He thought that the stress of this whole thing might be getting to Sam and that she really needed her father so he sent a message through the Stargate to me and I came here. It's good to see that everything went well." Jacob smiled, his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"The thing that matters most to me is that Sam had people here for her that care about her. I can only imagine how rough this must have been on the girls and if it had to go down like this, I'm glad that they didn't have to deal with it alone."

"Well, I think that you two need some time to yourselves so we're just going to go and let you guys be alone."

"Okay. Thanks again for sitting with me, Dad." Sam said as she gave her father a hug and walked him out of the room.

Once Sam was alone with Jack, she took his hand in her own and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"So, before I fell asleep I seem to remember beginning a conversation with you about ideas for an outing of spontaneity for the team. I'm excited to hear what you've come up with since you've had a couple of days to think about it."

"Well, I was thinking about something along the lines of all of us taking a long vacation somewhere together. You know, somewhere we wouldn't normally think of going. We haven't had the chance to do something relaxing like that in a very long time."

"That sounds pretty spontaneous to me. I like it. As soon as Daniel and I are up to busting out of here, we'll look at some possible destinations and decide on one that we all like." Jack smiled, pulling Sam close to give her the tightest hug that he could manage, comforted by her calming presence. It was in this one moment that they both realized that there was definitely something special between them, something that was worth holding onto.

* * *

While Sarah was down in the cafeteria with Teal'c getting something to eat, Jonas had stayed with Daniel so he wouldn't be alone. He was flipping through a book that he found laying on the table, trying to ignore the disturbing images swimming around in his mind. Just then, a soft groan to his right drew his attention. Jonas looked up just in time to see Daniel open his eyes.

"Hey." Jonas said.

"Uh, hey." Daniel mumbled groggily as he began feeling for his glasses so he could see who he was talking to.

"Oh. Here you go."

"Thanks." Daniel said as he put his glasses on and looked at Jonas with a puzzled expression. "Wait a minute. Jonas, what are you doing here? How did you even know what was going on?"

"Well, Teal'c sent a message to me the night before this whole thing started and just said that I should come to Earth as soon as possible but it wasn't until the day of that I actually was able to get away seeing as I got the message in the middle of the night. Anyway, I didn't have any idea what was actually going on until I actually stepped through the gate at the SGC and Teal'c met me in the gate room and filled me in. I would have come and wished you luck before everything started but you guys had already been taken into surgery by the time I got here to the hospital. So how are you feeling, Daniel?"

"I feel okay considering what I've just been through, I guess. I really appreciate that you came through when you heard what was going on. I know you've been really busy since you've been back on Kelowna."

"That sounds a lot like how Sam reacted when she first saw me. She asked me what I was doing here and I wondered where else she thought I'd be after I heard that something was going down here. I may be back on my home world but as far as I'm concerned I have two homes. Earth seems like home to me now too."

"Well, I'm glad you feel like that. So how long are you planning on staying? Is Kianna with you?"

"No, Kianna wanted to come with me but she was working on a project that she just couldn't get away from. She said that she sends her best though. I got clearance to leave for a week so I'll more than likely be staying around for a couple more days. That reminds me, I met your fiancé. I've been trying to help her out as much as I can. When did you get engaged?" Jonas explained.

"We've been engaged for about five months now. I appreciate you helping her through this. Where is Sarah anyway?"

"She's down in the cafeteria getting something to eat with Teal'c. We convinced her to take a break for lunch and I told her I'd stay here with you because she wasn't going to leave otherwise. She didn't want to leave you alone in case you woke up and my staying here put her at ease."

"Oh, okay. It's good for her to get some food. I feel better to know that she's with Teal'c, too." Daniel began, but stopped, concerned, when he noticed that Jonas was staring off into nothing and he seemed suddenly distant. "Jonas, are you okay? There's nothing bothering you is there?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, Daniel. It's just that I've been having what I guess you'd call flashbacks in my mind since I got here to the hospital. You know what, that's stupid. Forget I mentioned it."

"No, it's not stupid. Let me guess, this situation reminded you of what happened when you first came to Earth from Kelowna and the circumstances surrounding that. Am I right?"

"Yeah. That's it exactly. How did you figure that out?" Jonas asked, shocked that Daniel had hit the nail on the head so quickly.

"Because for some reason that's exactly what went through my mind when Jack came to my office that day and told me that Janet found that his liver was going bad. You want to know how I dealt with it?"

"Yeah. How?"

"I simply told myself that it was in the past and I needed to put that out of my head if I was going to help Jack forge on to the future and keep things as close to normal as I possibly could."

"Maybe I can make myself think of it like that. Actually it didn't really start bothering me until Sarah asked me to tell her again how you and I came to know each other. It was then that I realized just how much that incident has stuck with me after all these years. I mean, there are times I still wake up in a cold sweat from the nightmares."

"Another thing I can relate to. I still have nightmares from time to time that even scare Sarah. But again, I just tell myself that period of my life is over now, the chapter of the book is closed, and I'm back in human form and I can get on with my life and leave that behind. I know it's hard to do sometimes but you have to search deep within yourself for the strength. I know it's there and I think you do too. You just have to have the patience to find it."

"I guess I do have the strength to forget, and I think I know a trick I can try to find it. Thanks, Daniel. Look at this. Here you are lying in a hospital bed and you're concerned about me and my problems. It's no wonder people talk so highly of you." Jonas said, amazed at his friend's selfless attitude.

"Have you talked to Sam recently?" Daniel asked.

"Not recently. The last time I talked to her was when we were down in the cafeteria early this morning. Why?"

"I just wanted to see if you'd heard anything else about how Jack's doing, that's all."

"Sorry, I don't know. I wish I did. I'm sure Jack's still doing fine though. If that wasn't the case, surely we would know by now. I wouldn't worry."

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm worried as much as I am anxious to talk to Jack so I can know that what I did and the sacrifice I made achieved the end that I wanted it to."

"Daniel, let me ask you something. Have you ever taken the opportunity since this whole thing started to think about yourself and how this scenario has affected you?" Jonas asked pointedly.

"Actually, I haven't had an opportunity to concentrate on myself at all, come to think about it. I guess I've tried not to because I realize how tricky this whole thing must have been and everything that could have been lost. If I take the time to think about it, then I'll see how close I came to losing one of my best friends. Right now, I don't want to think about that and I seriously doubt I'd have the strength to even if I did."

"I can't say that I don't sympathize with that. I guess I can relate to this thing that you and Jack are going through because I went through not exactly the same situation, but something very similar and equally as trying."

"You did?" Daniel asked, confused.

"Well, it was about a month or so before you retook human form and all that. We were on a planet trying to negotiate trade relations with the indigenous people."

"Same old song and dance."

"Yeah. Anyway, at one point I had a vision of something and when it happened a few minutes later just like I'd seen it, I was so shaken up that I passed out. When we got back to Earth, Dr. Fraiser ran some tests and found a formation of new brain tissue that was causing me to see these things. When it was discovered that this tumor or what have you had grown to the point that it became life threatening, a specialist was called in to assist and they removed the thing. I had a very long road to recovery. In fact, when I woke up a few days later and was in my right mind again, I found out that I nearly died during the surgery."

"You know, this is going to sound strange, but even though that happened during the year that I was ascended, it sounds vaguely familiar. I don't understand how it could though since I wasn't even there. During that time, for all intents and purposes, I wasn't even alive."

"Hmm." Jonas muttered, getting an eerie sense about this conversation and decided that he should change the subject. "So, tell me about how you and Sarah got together. I've been a little curious. I would have asked her earlier but given what the situation was, I thought it was a little inappropriate."

"There's quite a story to that actually. Sarah and I first met when we were working together at a university up in Chicago. We dated for a while back then but I kind of ruined it with my penchant for overworking. Not long after that, I left Chicago and came to Colorado. I didn't see Sarah again until four years later when my mentor was killed. It was around that time that Sarah was taken over as host to the Goa'uld Osiris. I tried on a couple different occasions to rescue her but it wasn't until earlier this year, after we helped save your planet from destruction, that Osiris was apprehended and successfully separated from Sarah. After that we spent a few months getting the relationship we had back on track and here we are now." Daniel explained, smiling as he remembered.

"Wow. You were right, Daniel. That is quite a story. Sounds pretty similar to mine actually. It's a little funny when you think about it."

"Well, if I had to make a guess I'd say that there are some serious conversations going on here." Sarah joked as she entered the room.

"Hey, Sarah. Did you have a good lunch, honey?" Daniel asked as Sarah came over to the bed to stand beside Jonas, taking his hand tightly in her own.

"Yes, I did. I feel better now. At least my stomach isn't grumbling at me anymore. I appreciate you staying here with Daniel for me, Jonas. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad I was able to help you out. Look, you guys need to have some time to yourselves now that Daniel's awake so I'm just going to go. Holler if you guys need anything."

"Sure. Thanks a lot, Jonas. I appreciate all that you've done here. I just hope that the talk you and I had was able to return the favor at least somewhat."

"Anytime. Our conversation did help a lot. I'll see you guys later." Jonas smiled, patting Daniel's shoulder as he left the room to go join the others.

"Teal'c says that he'll stop in later to see you. I'm so glad that you're awake and that this is all over, Daniel. I've never been so scared in my life. Not even when I was controlled by Osiris." Sarah whispered, as soon as Jonas had gone.

"I understand how you feel. But it's going to be fine. Like you said, it's all over now and everything turned out okay. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'm not going anywhere. Not for a very long time."

"You don't know how glad I am of that. Nothing in the world could be more reassuring right now." Sarah said calmly, sitting on the bed beside Daniel and resting her head on his shoulder, drawing comfort from his embrace and the strength of his presence.


	11. Returning To Normal

Chapter 11: Returning to Normal

Three weeks later, Jack and Daniel were released from the hospital and returned home. Jonas had returned to Kelowna the previous week, promising that he would keep in touch with them. Jacob was also gone, leaving earlier in the week to return to the Tok'ra. He didn't want to leave quite yet but there was a little dissention among the Tok'ra council and it fell upon Jacob as host to Selmak, the oldest and wisest of the Tok'ra, to smooth things over and settle it all down. He had promised Sam that he would visit again soon.

Jack and Daniel were both recovering well and neither of them appeared to have any problems or complications from the surgery. In fact, the only difference from the way things had been before was that Jack now had to take medication for the rest of his life to ensure that his body didn't reject and start attacking the new liver. Given that he was getting a new lease on life, it was a sacrifice that Jack O'Neill was more than willing to make.

One afternoon Jack was at home, relaxing and watching the sports channel on television, when his doorbell rang. He got up stiffly and went to open the door, smiling broadly when he noticed Sam standing there with a pizza.

"Hey, you." Jack grinned, reaching out to take Sam's free hand in his own.

"Hi, Jack. How are you doing?" Sam asked, moving into Jack's embrace while being careful not to drop the pizza.

"I was doing fine before but I'm doing even better now that you're here. You always brighten any situation for me."

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way because you have the same effect on me."

"I'm glad." Jack whispered, taking the food from Sam and placing it on the table before pulling her to him and kissing her with such a passion that it left them breathless.

"Whoa. Why don't we, uh, eat this pizza before it gets cold."

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

"You want some iced tea with your pizza?"

"Yeah, actually. That would be great."

For a while, Jack and Sam ate their lunch in silence, just content to enjoy each other's company. The feelings between them were so deep that they didn't require any words. It was a few minutes before Jack spoke again.

"It really does feel good to be home. In the kind of work we do, it gets so routine to be in life threatening danger that you take for granted the opportunities to just relax until something like this happens."

"I can understand that. I realized how much we take for granted those that we care about until we stand to risk losing them. I know I've said this before but while you and Daniel were in surgery and we didn't really know what was going on, I've never been that confused or that scared or felt that helpless before in my life. Not even on the most dangerous off world missions. If I'd have lost you, I don't know what I would have done." Sam said softly.

"Sam, stop it. Don't even think like that. You didn't lose me and you aren't going to. I'm fine and things are getting back to normal. All we need now is to relax for another week or two until Janet clears Daniel and I for active duty and then we'll be back hopping planets just like before. I'm just glad that you had people there for you to help get you through that." Jack whispered to her, pulling her close and hugging her as hard as he dared.

* * *

Across town, Daniel and Sarah were also spending a quiet afternoon together. After having a nice lunch that Sarah had made, they decided to watch a movie and settled down on the couch together. After a while, Daniel had stretched out across the couch and rested his head on Sarah's lap. Before either of them knew it, Daniel had fallen asleep in Sarah's lap while she stroked his hair gently. 

When the movie ended and the DVD went back to the menu screen, Sarah gently lifted the remote from Daniel's fingers, careful not to disturb him, and switched the player off to allow the television to resume control. Then Sarah looked down at Daniel sleeping soundly in her lap and smiled softly. She enjoyed spending time with him like this and she didn't mind at all that he slept. She was well aware that all he had been through over the past few weeks had completely exhausted him and with his recovery still not totally complete, he really needed the rest. So she sat quietly on the couch with her fiancé, watching him sleep and running her hand over his hair. Sarah remained in this fashion until Daniel awakened an hour later.

"Hey."

"Mmm. Hey, beautiful. Sorry I fell asleep. Guess I'm still a little wiped out. Why didn't you wake me up?" Daniel yawned sleepily.

"Well, I knew that you needed the rest given all that you've been through recently. When we were eating lunch earlier, you seemed exhausted so I decided that it would be better for you if I let you sleep. Besides, you just looked so peaceful lying there that I couldn't have brought myself to disturb you even if I'd wanted to." Sarah explained, bending over to give Daniel a kiss.

"That was very sweet of you. Thank you. Actually I think it's the big lunch we had that relaxed me in the first place. It's always been that way with me. Eating a big meal usually makes me drowsy."

"Do you know what I just thought about?"

"What?"

"I thought about how much I've missed these little moments over the past few weeks. I mean, the smallest things in our lives like you drifting off to sleep in my lap while we're watching television. Things that you don't realize are so important until you have to do without them for an extended time."

"Well, hopefully we won't ever be deprived of these types of moments again. I'm just glad that everything worked out the way it was supposed to. Actually, it was a nice surprise to get to see Jonas again, too. That was so much like Teal'c to call in extra support at the most appropriate time." Daniel smiled, sitting up and stretching.

"I know. He was such a big help to me, and to Sam too, when things started to get rough. To be honest, it was the ability that Jonas seems to have to keep a level head in the most intense situations that helped me keep a firm head on _my_ shoulders a couple of times when I thought I was going to lose it. It's not hard to see why you think so highly of him as one of your friends." Sarah agreed.

"It wasn't easy for him to see all of that going on, though, and that makes me appreciate it all the more that he put everything on hold and came through to Earth. The situation reminded him of the circumstances that happened when he and I first came to know each other. We talked about that and I think it helped both of us a little."

"Yeah, I sensed that. I'm glad that you two talked. So what do we want to do for the rest of the afternoon?"

"I'm not really sure. We've already watched a movie so I'm fresh out of ideas. Do you have any suggestions?" Daniel asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do. I have a couple of puzzles in the hall closet. I could get one of them and we could spread it out on the table and work it together." Sarah suggested.

"That sounds like fun."

Sarah disappeared up the stairs momentarily and came back with a 1000 piece puzzle of a lake in the moonlight. She and Daniel spread the pieces out on the coffee table and began to work on assembling the picture together.

* * *

Jack and Sam were sitting on his couch, flipping through channels to see if they could find anything interesting on, when the telephone rang. Jack reached over Sam and grabbed the cordless phone that was at the far end of the couch.

"Hello."

"Hey, Jack. How are you feeling?"

"General. I'm doing better, sir. It's been a while since we've had this much downtime so I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself. Sam's over here and we've been flipping through television channels for a little bit." Jack answered, a smile in his voice at recognizing who was on the other end.

"I have an idea of something you could do. Feel up to meeting me for drinks in a couple of hours? There's something I'd like to discuss with you." Hammond said casually.

"Well, I'm not supposed to be drinking a lot of alcohol right now and I want to try to comply with that."

"Jack O'Neill following doctors' orders? Now I've heard everything. Okay, we'll go out for dinner then. My treat. Bring Sam with you."

"That sounds like a plan, sir. Sam and I'll meet you over at O'Malley's in two hours. If you don't mind my asking though, what exactly is it that you want to talk about?" Jack asked with peaked curiosity.

"Just wait until you get to dinner. I promise I'll explain everything then. See you in two hours, Jack." Hammond said as he hung up, leaving Jack extremely confused.

"What was that about? Who was on the phone, Jack?" Sam asked, coming back in from going to the bathroom as Jack hung up the phone.

"Oh, that was Hammond. He wants both of us to meet him at O'Malley's in two hours. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah. That's fine with me. I can just go like I am. As soon as you're ready we can go."

"Here's the weird thing. Hammond said that he has some big thing that he wants to talk to the both of us about, but he wouldn't tell me what it is. Just said he'd explain it over dinner." Jack said, puzzled.

"Oh, well. I guess we'll just have to wait until we get there to see what's so important. Now go get ready so we won't be late." Sam urged. As Jack headed down the hall to take a shower, he didn't see the sly smirk on Sam's face that said that she knew full well exactly what was going on.


	12. Dinnertime Surprises

Chapter 12: Dinnertime Surprises

When Jack and Sam arrived at O'Malley's, they were shown to a table and found Hammond already there waiting for them to get there. He stood from the table as the two approached.

"General." Jack smiled, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Jack, Sam, glad you could make it. So are you dealing well with being back home?"

"Feels great to be home where I can sleep in my own bed. The only thing I want to do now is get back to work so things can get completely back to normal. So, sir, what did you invite us out to talk about?"

"Always a man to get right down to business, aren't you, Jack. You'd think I'd be used to that by now. Well, what I wanted to talk to you about were some of the regulations. One set of regulations in particular that I know have been a problem for you for some time." Hammond explained as Sam flashed him a knowing grin.

"Okay. I'm a little, no a lot, confused here. General, will you _please_ let me in on whatever it is that you and Carter obviously know. I really hate being on the outside looking in."

Jack grumbled in exasperation.

"All right, Jack. Take it easy. I'll explain. I've suspected for quite a while that there was a bond between you and Sam that stretched far beyond friendship and camaraderie." Hammond began as Jack looked at Sam nervously, relaxing when she gave him a reassuring smile and a slight nod of her head. "When you came to me and told me that you were going to have the transplant operation, it occurred to me that you had suffered enough. So after you left my office that day I got on the phone to the President and explained the situation to him. I offered the recommendation that we make an exception to the military regulation against fraternization within ranks for this one particular case and the President agreed with me. Therefore from this point forward, you and Sam are free to start a relationship openly without fear of repercussions from such an action."

"Sweet!" Jack exclaimed, pulling Sam into a bear hug and kissing her passionately as Hammond chuckled. "Wait a minute, Sam. You knew about this already? How long have you known?"

"Well, Jack, I've known for a few weeks. General Hammond told me about this the night that you and Daniel came out of surgery. That's why I've been a little more flirty on base lately. The only thing was that the General made me promise that I wouldn't tell you. He wanted to surprise you by informing you himself." Sam explained, smiling sweetly at Jack.

"I can live with that. Actually this is better than sweet. This is fantastic. This means that now I don't have to retire from the Air Force or the SGC in order to do something that I have been dying to do for about seven years now."

"And what would that be exactly?"

"This." Jack stated simply, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and pulling out a small black jewelry box. Sam let out a loud gasp and Hammond looked on in surprise when Jack opened the box to reveal a large diamond ring and got on one knee before the woman he'd been in love with on the sidelines for seven years. "Sam, you know I love you more than life itself and would take a bullet or staff blast for you any day of the week. There was only one thing that's been missing for all this time and now with this regulation I can finally have that one thing if you'll let me. So I need to ask you this one important question. Samantha Carter, will you marry me?"

"Oh my God. I never thought that this day could actually happen. I've dreamed of it for so long and now it's a reality. Yes, I will marry you, Jack. Nothing in the world would make me happier. Or any other world for that matter." Sam said with tears in her eyes as she threw herself into Jack's arms, pulling back just long enough for him to slip the ring onto her finger.

"Congratulations, Jack. Though I will admit that this is the last thing that I expected would happen this evening, I couldn't be more pleased for you. This couldn't have happened to two better people. I wish you both all the happiness in the world. I also want to tell you that you don't have to keep this a secret back at the mountain. Feel free to tell the good news to anyone you'd like." Hammond smiled, clapping Jack on the shoulder earnestly.

Just then the waiter came over to take their dinner orders. As the three ate a large dinner, Sam couldn't take her eyes off of her engagement ring for more than a few seconds. She was the happiest that she'd ever been in the knowledge that after she had been in danger of losing the man that she loved, he was now her fiancé and every dream she'd ever had was now reality.

After they had finished eating and were ready to leave, it occurred to Sam what Hammond had said earlier about not having to keep their engagement a secret. She thought immediately of someone that they needed to tell.

"Jack, I think we need to tell Daniel and Sarah about our engagement. Since Teal'c's on Chulak for a few days we'll have to wait to let him know until he gets back but at least we can let them in on this."

"That's a great idea, Sam. I'll just give them a call and let Daniel know that we're going to drop by with a surprise." Jack agreed as he reached into his coat pocket for his cell phone.

"No. Let's just go over there and really surprise them. Given the nature of the news that we have to deliver, I get the feeling that they won't mind if we drop in unannounced." Sam said, grabbing Jack's hand.

"Well, it seems like you two have a lot to do this evening so I'll say goodnight here. Enjoy the rest of the week off and SG-1 will report to base at 0700 Monday morning for a standard recon mission."

"Sounds good to me. Thanks so much, General. I don't know how we can ever repay you for what you've done for us." Jack said happily, shaking his friend's hand with a huge smile.

"No need to. Just seeing how happy you two are is plenty thanks enough for me. Now go on and spread your good news. I'll see you Monday people."

"Yes, sir. Well, Sam, what do you say we go and drop in on our friends and give them the surprise of their lives."

"I think I can live with that idea." Sam laughed as she took Jack's hand and allowed her to lead her out to his truck.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Daniel and Sarah were sitting at the table still working on the puzzle that they had started when they heard the doorbell ringing. Seeing that they weren't expecting anyone, the couple looked at each other in confusion.

"Now I wonder who in the world that could be at 9:30 at night." Daniel thought absently as he went to open the front door.

"Hey there, Daniel. How's it going?" Jack asked casually as Daniel opened the door for them and stood there looking more than a little confused.

"Um, good I guess. Just one thing. What are you and Sam doing here at this time of night?"

"We'll explain it to you, Daniel. Is Sarah around?" Sam laughed, stepping closer to Jack.

"Yeah. She's in the dining room. We were working on a puzzle in there when you guys rang the bell." Daniel said, turning into the house. "Sarah! Jack and Sam are here! We'll finish that later."

"Okay. Hi, Jack. Hi, Sam. How are you?" Sarah asked, hugging Jack and taking Sam's hand in her own. It was at this point that Sarah gasped as she noticed the diamond on Sam's finger. "Oh my gosh! Is this what I think?"

"Wait a minute. Do you guys have something that you'd like to share?" Daniel asked as he came closer and noticed what Sarah was staring at.

"Very astute there, Danny. Actually, Sam and I do have some fantastic news. We're engaged. We're going to be married as soon as we can figure out dates and all those other details." Jack grinned, trying not to laugh at the shell shocked look on Daniel's face as Sarah gave Sam a big hug.

"Hold on. How are you going to keep this a secret? If General Hammond finds out then you two could get in big trouble."

"No need to keep anything a secret. Hammond already knows seeing that he was there when this all went down. He talked to the President when the situation unfolded and they agreed to make an exception in this one case. We're free and clear to tell anyone we want. That's why we're here. We couldn't wait to tell you guys."

"Wow. I don't know what to say except congratulations guys. I know you've been waiting for this opportunity for years. I don't understand something, though. Why tell us first? I mean other than General Hammond, that is."

"Daniel, you were the one who made all of this possible. So it makes perfect sense that we would want to tell you first." Sam said.

"I just came up with the solution, a lot of other people made it work." Daniel protested, suddenly embarrassed and uncomfortable by the praise he received.

"That's just it, Daniel. You were the one who came up with the solution that saved Jack's life. If it hadn't been for you then Jack might not have survived for us to have the chance that we have now. That's why we wanted you and Sarah to be the first ones to know."

"I just can't believe that we get to be engaged at the same time!" Sarah squealed excitedly.

"Yeah, I know. I never thought that this would even happen. It didn't seem possible before and in one evening, all of these impossibilities have become realities." Sam grinned, leaning into Jack's arms.

"This really is amazing. I mean, I can't believe that you guys can actually start a relationship now. After all these years of keeping it a secret the way you felt about each other."

"Yeah, you're telling me. I got the ring Sam's wearing a long time ago and I was saving it until the day that I finally retired. But tonight when Hammond told me that the President was willing to change the regulations for the SGC, I couldn't wait to put that ring on Sam's finger."

"Wait a minute, Jack. Why did you even think to take the ring with you to the restaurant tonight?" Daniel asked, puzzled.

"You know, Daniel, I'm not really sure. I hadn't really thought about that before you brought it up. I guess it was a gut instinct or something. Sam did tell me though that Hammond told her about it while she was sitting with me and told her to keep a lid on it so maybe some part of me heard the conversation and cued me in." Jack mused.

"Jack, that doesn't matter now. What's important is that it happened and now we're free to be together and neither of us have to forfeit our careers that we love so much. I can't wait to tell my dad. He's going to freak. He'll be so excited for us. He totally loves you and he's known how we feel about each other for a while. I don't know how, I guess it's one of those things that a dad just knows." Sam pointed out, a huge grin on her face.

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you guys come help us work on the puzzle we're doing. It might be a little easier with double the people." Sarah suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. What do you think?"

"That's fine with us. I think it would be fun. I used to be really good at jigsaw puzzles when I was a kid." Jack teased as the four went into the dining room where the puzzle was set up.

As Jack sat working on a jigsaw puzzle with his fiancé and friends, he couldn't help but think that the ordeal that he went through was some sort of blessing in disguise. If it hadn't been for what he'd been through, the regulations would never have been changed and he would have had to wait even longer to land the woman of his dreams. It was then that it occurred to him that a higher power than he had ever known had taken a hand in his future and he realized that he couldn't have been happier about it.


End file.
